Paul Returns to Kanto: Return of the Battle Frontier
by RPG1115
Summary: After his most recent defeat at the hands of none other than Ash Ketchum, Paul wallows around with nothing to do. But when Reggie proposes an idea, Paul finds himself with a one way ticket to Kanto and a whole new journey that's sure to teach him many lessons about what it takes to be a true Pokemon trainer.
1. Chapter 1 Reggie's Idea

Paul Returns to Kanto: Return of the Battle Frontier

_Well here's the first chapter of my story_

_I hope you all enjoy it_

_Leave a comment to let me now wheat you think or what you want changed_

_Just to let you all know this story will be told from Paul's POV for the most part if the POV ever changes for a chapter I will let you know._

_I do not own Pokémon or any part of it. If i did I would have made ash win the Pokémon league ages ago._

_With that said lets begin the story_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Reggie's Idea**

_Defeat. How could it happen? _

"_Infernape, you got this!"_

_How could I lose? _

_The ref threw the flag into the air before pointing toward his opponent. "Ash Ketchum is the winner!" _

_And to him of all people_. I thought as I laid down in my bed. The league had ended 3 months ago and all I could think about was my defeat by Ash

I kept replaying the battle in my mind thinking about what went wrong. Between the two of us I clearly had the upper hand. Ash fell for all of my traps I used the perfect team to beat him but still I lost.

I could've understood if I lost to Tobias but I didn't even make it to him. Why was he the one to beat me?

"I hate him. He's just like my brother treating his Pokémon with love. How pathetic?" But if it was so pathetic then why did I lose.

"It was his Infernape." I said realizing how his Infernape beat half of my team.

Staraptor wasn't even a threat I weakened it with my Gastrodon and finished it with my Drapion.

Buizel wasn't much better it managed to beat my weakened Gastrodon sure but it then fell to Drapion.

His Torterra was even worse it didn't even beat a single one of my Pokémon. It got beaten quickly by my Drapion.

Gliscor. Hmm I suppose it did well but still it would have lost to my ninjask if ash didn't switch it out for infernape.

Pikachu. Again it did well defeating my Frostglass but in the end I still destroyed it with my Electivire.

Infernape. There was a pokemon that saved him. It defeated my argon, Ninjask, and my Electivire which earlier beat 3 of his strongest guys.

"Damn it. This was the most important battle and I literally handed him the key to his victory." I said remembering how I kicked out my chimchar and it then went to ash. "Why could he unlock its true potential but I couldn't. What makes him so special?"

Why what made him different? What made him better?

Could it be his training style? Was treating your Pokémon with love and care really the best option to becoming a good trainer. No I couldn't believe it he was weak pathetic.

"Paul can I come in?" I heard my brother Reggie ask.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you." Reggie said letting himself in. "You've been so down ever since you lost to ash. It was a good fight you have nothing to be ashamed about. Besides after he beat you he went on to beat not one but two legendary Pokémon. So it's not like you lost to an amateur."

"Shut up Reggie. If you remember he used a completely different team when he faced me. Would I have done half as well if he used his Heracross, his Sceptile, or maybe that Snorlax of his?"

Reggie then went and punched Paul straight in his face. "Grow up will you stop letting one loss get to you! You weren't this pissed off after the league but the moment got home you just got depressed! Do you think Ash is laying at home crying about his lose to Tobias! I doubt it he just grew up and went home. I bet he's in a new region catching new Pokémon as we speak."

"Well what do you want me to do. "

"Go and train some more. I didn't get this sad when I lost to Brandon" Reggie then stopped and smiled.

"What are you smiling about?"

"I have an idea about what you can do next."

"Oh god, I'm not gonna go like this am I."

"You will I'm sure of it but first we need to head to twinleaf town."

"Why do we need to go there?"

"Because I said so now listen to your big brother. Pack your things and let's get in my car."

"Sigh I guess I have no choice."

I then packed my bags and walked out to see my brother in his car.

"Choose some Pokémon to bring with you Paul"

"Fine."

I choose to grab my Electivire, Magmorter, Ursaring, Torterra, Gastrodon, and Frostglass.

"I got my team Reggie. Now can you tell me why we're going to Twinleaf town?"

"You'll see later."

Reggie and I got in the car and started to drive toward Twinleaf Town.

* * *

"Well we're here. Now get out Paul." Reggie said as we arrived in Twinleaf Town. He then parked the car and we got out of it.

"So what are we doing here?"

"Well I need to find Rowan first because I heard he was visiting this town."

"Why do we need to see Rowan?"

"You really don't get the purpose of a surprise do you?"

"I hate surprises."

"And I hate your attitude but I've put up with it. Now while I look for Rowan you walk around and have some fun."

Reggie then left me to explore the tiny town.

I walked around and wondered to myself how could anyone livening such a boring town.

"How is coming here supposed to help cheer me up."

"Hey out of my way!" a kid yelled as he hit me with his bike.

"What the hell is your problem watch where you're going you ideot."

"Me, you're the one who got in my way. I think this calls for a fine you have ten seconds to pay up. ten. nine. eight. seven. six. five. four. three. two. one. Time's up. Hey wait a minute aren't you Paul."

"Yea, so what."

"It's good to see you again."

"Who are you?"

"What stop joking around its me Barry."

"How do you know me again."

"We faced in the sinnoh league remember. I used a Skarmory, Hitmolee, and my Empolion. You used your Magmortar, Electivire, and you're Ursering. I couldn't even defeat one of your Pokémon."

I thought for a minute until I remembered the battle. "I remember you now. You were the kid I faced in the third round."

"You bet I've been training really hard since then."

"Barry where what are you doing over there." I heard a girl say

"Hey Dawn come here and see who I ran into… literally"

Dawn then walked up and saw me

"Well if it isn't Paul. How have you been?"

"It doesn't matter." I spoke coldly.

"Well glad to see your attitude has changed." Dawn said Sarcastically.

"Look I've been busy." I told her. I didn't want to admit I was moping these past three months.

"Hey Paul I have an Idea how about you and me have a rematch right here and now. I've been training real hard and I bet you've improved too." Barry asked me energetically.

"Thanks but no thanks."

"Huh, why not."

"Because I don't want to waste my time"

"You gotta be kidding me you said we could have a rematch after you beat me the last time."

"I don't remember saying that"

"Well that was the impression I got."

"Then you got the wrong idea. Why should I waste my time battle a pathetic opponent who I defeated months ago."

"Common you kept on battling Ash until he beat you."

"Ash was just a loser who got lucky at the last minute. I could beat him in a heartbeat If he didn't catch that stupid Infernape." I said.

"Ha. Make all the excuses you want in the end Infernape still beat you. Oh and by the way who was his original trainer that abandoned him. Please tell me I'm having a hard time remembering." Dawn said to me. She was acting like a smartass.

"You stupid bitch. Learn your place and stop talking about things you'll never understand. Ash only won because my Pokémon let me down in that one battle I'm still the better trainer."

"Well I change my mind you're not as bad as you were in the Sinoh league. You're even worse than you were before! At least during the Sinoh league you battled with some respect for your opponents and when Ash beat you at first you took it well. I guess after you got home you realized what a sorry excuse of a trainer you are!" Dawn said yelling at me

"Why don't you just shut up? Your just a stupid coordinator who knows nothing about battles."

"Why don't you make me unless you're scared to battle after Ash beat your sorry butt?"

"You're gonna regret saying that." I said feeling pissed beyond measures. I felt like I could explode out of anger from the way she was talking to me. Who did she think she was talking to me like that? She had some nerve.

"Only if you can beat me in a three on three Pokémon battle."

"Fine then If you want to get embarrassed so badly I'll be happy to help.. This won't take long."

"Hey what about my battle." Barry said sounding annoyed. I forgot he was there for a minute

"Shut up Barry." Dawn and I said at the same time.

Barry then jumped backwards looking scared.

"You can be the judge Barry." Dawn said to Barry

"Fine. where do you two want to battle."

"There's an old grass battlefield near here if you want to go there Paul."

"Wherever's fine. I could fight anywhere and beat you." I said bitterly.

We headed to the field there was nothing special about it. Just grass and a few rocks in the ground but other than that nothing special."

"This will be a three on three Pokémon battle between Dawn and Paul. The battle will end when all three of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Substitutes are allowed.

"Frostglass stand by for battle."

"Togakiss come on out."

"Begin."

"You already made a stupid call. Why would you send out a flying type to go up against my ice type."

"This is why Togakiss use aura spear."

Togakiss then fired the attack but it went right through Frostglass.

"Huh why did it go through it I hit it dead on?"

"Don't you know anything Frostglass is half ghost and fighting type moves have no effect on ghost. God only an amateur would make that mistake."

"Shut up. Now Togakiss since Aura spear won't work try air slash."

Togakiss slashed Frostglass with great force of air

"Ice shard Frostglass."

Frostglass then nailed Togakiss with Ice shard.

"Togakiss lets hit him hard with sky attack."

Togakiss started to charge up for sky attack

"Frostglass wait for Togakiss to come at you and use ice beam strait at it."

"Togakiss dive right into the attack to hit Frostglass"

"What is she planning"

Togakiss went straight into the ice beam taking serious damage until it hit Frostglass and caused an explosion.

When the smoke cleared Frostglass was hurt and breathing heavy but it was still standing. Togakiss on the other hand had been knocked unconscious.

"Togakiss is unable to battle the winner it Frostglass." Barry announced

"So you decided to go right into ice beam so you could deal even more damage to my Frostglass but sadly your plan didn't work we still won"

"Damn it I thought that would work."

"Well what's your next Pokémon going to be? Unless you're ready to quite."

"No need to worry I still have some tricks up my sleeve Paul and also there's no way I'd ever quite against you."

"You should be worried because no matter what you do I'm taking you down. Now send out your next Pokémon."

"Mamoswine come on out." Dawn said as she sent out her giant tusk Pokémon.

"Mamoswine vs. Frostglass begin." Barry said

"So since flying didn't work you're going to try ice vs. ice. Well it's not going to work. Frostglass use ice shard."

"We'll use ice shard too."

The two Pokémon sent out shards of ice as they collided.

"Now Frostglaass use shadow ball"

Frostglass fired the ball and it hit Mamoswine head on. But Momoswine still had some fight left in him.

"Mamoswine use Ancient Power."

Mamoswine hit Frostglass with a barrage of rocks. After the attack hit Mamoswine started moving faster.

"Alright Ancient powers second effect came in now Mamoswines stats have all increased. Now let's finish the battle by using ancient power one more time."

"Frostglass use destiny bond"

Msmoswine hit Frostglass head on and inflected damage that was strong enough to make Frostglass fall but not before Frostglass shot out a beam that connected the two of them.

"Frostglass is unable to battle the winner is-"But Barry got interrupted by the sound of Dawns Mamoswine falling.

"Mamo" The Mamoswine said as it fainted

"I mean both Pokémon are unable to battle this makes this round a draw. Paul still has two Pokémon left while Dawn is left with only one." Barry announced

"I don't understand Mamoswine barley took any Damage." Dawn said confused

"Right before you hit me I told my Frostglass to use Destiny bond. That's a move that waits until one of my guys faint and then forces the opponents Pokémon to share its destiny. I planned that out from the moment you sent out your Mamoswine. So what are you going to do now?"

"Well I can see why Ash always had such a hard time beating you. But still there's no way I'm going to lose."

"Then see if you can win. Gastrodon stand by for battle."

"Alright I didn't want to use this one since I just got her back but now's as good a time as any to test her out. Go Ambipom"

"Gastrodon Water pulse."

The Pokémon fired a ball of water straight at Ambipom

"All right Ambipom time to show your training in ping pong. Knock it right back at it with double hit."

Ambipom hit the Ball of water straight back at Gastrodon. After the ball hit it Gstrodon started acting weird.

"Alright now it's confused. Ambipom lets win this quickly with a double Focus punch."

Ambipom Ran straight towards Gastrodon

"Snap out of it Gastrodon."

But it was no use Gastrodon was far to confused and Ambipom hit it dead center.

"Gast." Gastrodon said as it fainted

"Gatrodon return is that all you're capable of?"

"Gastrodon is unable to battle Ambipom is the winner. Both sides are left with just one Pokémon left each."

I smiled for an instant. Even though i wasn't winning anymore I felt something. Entertainment. I haven't felt so excited since I battled Ash. I forgot for an instant that we were fighting earlier. I wanted to continue this battle. I wanted to get stronger and to win. And I wanted to be the best.

"Alright Dawn no more fun and games I'm ending this now. It's been fun but it's time to end this ."

"Well you seem to suddenly be in a better mood."

"Don't get me wrong I still intend to beat you but I'm actually enjoying this. Still it's time I end it. Ursering stand by for battle."

"Well it's good to see your returning to your old self but I'm still going to win."

"Your wrong about that I'm taking you way down."

"Alright let's go Ambipom use swift."

"Counter with Focus blast."

The focus blast ran through the barrage of stars and was about to hit Ambipom.

"Knock Focus Blast back just like before."

Ambipom knocked the attack straight toward Ursering

"You're not the only one who can do that. Ursering run toward the blast and hit it right back at Ambipom with slash."

Urering hit the Ball straight into Ambipom

"Paul learned my battle style and adapted it as his own after seing it used only one time. That's just like him."

"Now ursering, run up to Ambipom and use Hammer arm."

My Ursering did as it was told and hit the Ambipom

"Double hit Ambipom."

The Ambipom hit my Ursering dead on.

"Now Ambipom finish this with Focus punch."

"Hammer Arm now."

The two Pokémon collided and hit each other dead in the face.

Both Pokémon were breathing heavily.

Suddenly one of the Pokémon fell

_TO Be Continued_

* * *

_Well that was the first chapter hope you guys enjoyed it. Hopefully Paul will come out of his little depression phase. At least he seems to be getting beater_

_Paul: Why don't you shut up_

_Calm down Paul next chapter you and your friends will start your adventure._

_Paul: Are you kidding me I don't need anyone to help me._

_Dawn: Calm down Paul no need to worry._

_Paul: You people are so irritating._

_Dawn: Are not. Either way please leave a comment on what you think. Any device on what you want to be changed or Improved._

_Barry: If you people don't I'm gonna fine you._

_Paul: Barry Shut up._

_Dawn: Ignore him people he's just a little exicted. _

_Thank you for your time reading this story more chapters will come soon _

_Dawn: Thanks for your time _

_Barry:_ _Thanks for your time_

_Paul:…_

_Dawn: Paul stop being a jerk and thank the readers_

_Paul: Fine thanks for your time. There happy now._

_Dawn: You are such a pain._

_See you all newt time_.


	2. Chapter 2 Heading to Kanto

_Hey everyone heres the second chapter._

_Dawn: Today me and Paul's battle will come to and end and you might get to meet some old friends._

_Barry: Really who is it_

_Paul: It doesn't matter either way lets just start this chapter._

_Barry: No Way I wan't to know who it is. Tell me or I'm gonna fine you all._

_Dawn: You'll have to read to find out Barry but no need to worry by the end you'll find out._

_Just want to mention that Dawn's Cyndaquil has not evolved yet._

* * *

**Chapter 2 Heading to Kanto **

As the two attacks from the battling Pokémon collided, a large shockwave was created which knocked back the two opponents, sending them skidding back to their trainers on their backs.

I quickly scanned my Ursaring, spotting the bruises on my Pokémon. Its breathing was unstable and it appeared as though it was struggling to stand.

Then I shifted my gaze to Dawn's Ambipom. It was just as bad if not worse. It was coated in bruises and scratches, fighting to remain conscious.

"Ur." My Ursaring stated as it forced itself up to its feet.

"Am bi… pom." The Ambipom muttered weakly before it fell backward. The battle was clearly over and I had won.

"Oh no Ambipom! Come on get up please." But it was no use the Pokémon was finished.

"Ambipom is unable to battle the winner is Ursaring. Since three of Dawn 's Pokemon have been defeated that makes Paul the winner."

I watched as Dawn called back her Ambipom and dropped to the ground

"Ursaring return you did well."

I then walked toward Dawn.

"What do you want. Whatever you're gonna say just say it already." Dawn spoke looking like she was about to cry.

"It was a good battle. You fought well." I said complimenting her.

She raised her head and looked up almost like she couldn't believe what I just said.

"What was that you just said?" Dawn asked even though I was positive that she heard me.

"Nothing don't worry about it. You should have listened better." I said to her.

Dawn then suddenly raised. "Come on can't you at least admit that you just said something nice!?"

"Are you always this noisy?"

"I'll stop once you admit it was a good battle."

I didn't say anything.

She then extended her hand.

"What are you doing?"

"Shake it."

"Why should I do that?"

"Because it's a way to show respect between two trainers."

I looked at her for a minute. "Fine then if it will make you that happy and shut you up." I then shook her hand and she smiled

"Good battle" she said

"Okay Paul you faced Dawn now it's my turn." Barry said excited.

"Not interested. One battle was plenty for right now maybe later. Besides I didn't come here to battle you guys."

"That reminds me why did you come here in the first place?" Dawn asked me

"Because of my stupid brother. He didn't tell me why we had to come here but he said it would make me feel better."

"Feel better? Why were you upset Paul?" Barry asked

"He was probably moping and staying locked up in his room since his battle with Ash." Damn it, how the hell did she know all that?

"Shut up."

"I'm right aren't I?"

"What gave you that idea?" "Your brother was talking to my mother and Barry's father lately."

"What seriously why didn't my dad tell me anything then?" Barry asked confused.

"Well isn't your dad out a lot because he always is busy training since he's a frontier brain."

"Oh ya good point Dawn. Man those Frontier Brains sure are busy. I wonder if the ones in Kanto are just as busy and strong as my dad."

"Wait a minute what did you just say." I asked realizing something.

"I said those Frontier Brains sure are busy. I wonder if the ones in Kanto are just as busy and strong as-"

"That's it." I said cutting off Barry

"Paul why did you interrupt me I'm gonna have to fine you."

"Hold on Barry. What have you discovered Paul."

"I think Reggie wants me to go to Kanto and challenge their Battle Frontier."

"Just like earlier when you lost to Brandon"

"Exactly only this time I bet he wants me to battle all of the frontier brains." "That's right Paul good job figuring it out before I told you." I heard my brother say from a few feet away. I turned around and I saw him with two people one that kind of looked like Dawn and a man that kind of looked like Barry.

"Mom." Dawn exclaimed.

"Dad." Barry exclaimed as well as the duo rushed over to their parents.

"How long were all of you here?" I asked Reggie.

"We came about halfway through your and Dawns battle. I didn't want to interrupt you since you looked like you were having fun."

"You didn't have to stay hidden."

"I think I did. You would have just gotten mad when you saw me. I didn't want that since you were having more fun today than in the past few months."

"I don't battle to have fun"

"Saw what you want to but the simple fact is you've always had fun when you battled. Don't even try to deny it."

"Whatever. Even so why are you with Barry's dad and Dawn's mom"

"Well me, Palmer and Johanna have been keeping in touch since the Sinnoh league. You see lately you've just been moping around and getting depressed."

"Shut up." I said leave it to Reggie to go around and tell everyone that I've been moping around. God I hate him.

"And Dawn you've been training at home for the past 3 months. That's fine and all but it's about time you went on another journey." Johanna said to her daughter

"Well I would but I have no Idea where to go I just called back my Ambipom to see how it's been doing but other than that there's been no contests so what am I supposed to do."

"And you Barry. You're the worst of all why haven't you done anything lately!" Palmer yelled at his son.

"Well dad I've been training hard with whomever around but it's normally only Dawn so we normally train together."

"That's not good enough you idiot. You better start leaving on another journey soon or I'm gonna fine you."

"Yup there definitely father and son." Me and Dawn said simultaneously.

"So we all came up with an idea." Reggie said Ignoring Palmer and holding up three tickets.

"Wait aren't those-" I began

"Yup these are boat tickets to the Kanto region. One for each of you. I figured the three of you could travel together and help each other out. Paul can face the battle frontier, Dawn can participate in the Kanto contests, and I'm sure there's something for Barry to do. That's why I went to see Rowan he had to sell me the tickets for all of us."

"Wait a minute what do you mean we have to travel together."

"Listen Paul all your life you've gone on journeys all by yourself. It's about time you start traveling with some people. You've always been a great trainer but you need to start making friends."

"I don't need any friends! I'll become the best all by myself!"

"Why do you think Ash beat you Paul. It's because he put so much trust into his Pokémon and his friends. Paul it's time you do the same. Trust me in the end you'll be glad you did this.

"But-"

"Come on Paul don't complain. I had the best time traveling with Ash and Brock. It'll be fun." Dawn said happily.

"Ya sounds like a fun idea. You better agree Paul or I'm gonna fine you."

"Plus we can help you out by training with you for future battles"

"See that Paul these guys are already offering to help you despite any past relationships you all had."

I thought about it for a minute. On one side I didn't want anyone to slow me down and if I traveled with Dawn and Barry then I would have to wait for Dawn to do her contest or whatever the hell it was that she did. And I'd have to wait for Barry to do god knows what.

On the up side Reggie is right that I'd always have people to train with and Dawn and Barry weren't the worst trainers. They weren't the best but they both definitely have skill.

"Fine then, I suppose if it will make you happy I'll go with them."

"Awesome, good choice Paul."

"Yes traveling with Paul this will defiantly improve my skills."

"And I'm sure me and Piplup will be able to win lots of contests."

"How bout we all meet by the docs at 7 in the morning since the ship doesn't leave until about 10." Reggie suggested

"Sounds good." I replied.

"Right. No need to worry." Dawn remarked with her usual catch phrase.

"Alright if any of you are late I'm gonna fine you."

"Just make sure you show up on time." I said

* * *

"Reggie"

"Yes Paul what is it?"

"We did tell them to meet us at 7, right?"

"Ya why do you ask."

"It's 7:30 they're both late"

"Well don't worry Paul I'm sure they will be here any minute"

I was feeling irritated. The fact that I had to travel with people annoyed me enough and them being late didn't make me want to travel in a group any more.

"So are you excited Paul."

"No just determined. I'm gonna do the one thing you couldn't do and get all the frontier symbols just like Ash did."

"You know the boat will be arriving in Pallet town."

"So."

"Well maybe you'll be able to see Ash. I'm sure he'll be happy to see the three of you again."

"He won't be there."

"How do you know that?"

"It's not his style. I bet he's out somewhere new catching new Pokémon and collecting badges. He probably even has made some new rivals."

"You really know Ash don't you?" Reggie said smiling

"We battled god knows how many times. It's only natural."

"Hey guys sorry I'm late." we heard Dawn as she anther mom arrived.

"It's about time you got here. You said no need to worry but it seems like we did need to worry."

"Well I was getting my hair ready and packing my bags."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's how I start my day."

"Are you gonna do that every day."

"Of course a coordinator has to look her best always."

"What are you serious? That will be such a pain in the ass."

"Well what do you want me to do I'm willing to put up with your attitude so I think you can put up with me having to prepare every morning!."

"This is why I'd rather travel alone."

"Well to bad I'm coming along weather you like it or not."

"Sounds like they really like each other" Johanna said

"Yea you can tell by how much they get along." Reggie said sarcastically.

Dawn and I both turned around to face Reggie and Johanna

"We do not like each other." Dawn and I said at the same time.

"By the way ware is Barry?"

"Good question he's even later than you."

"You got to be kidding me."

"Sadly no."

"Well I'm sure he will be here any minute."

* * *

After waiting for what felt like a while, I checked my watch it was 9:10 the boat would leave in 50 minutes. "If he's not here in ten more minutes we will leave without him."

"No need to worry I'm with you on that one." Dawn said sounding just as pissed as me.

"Hey guys what's up ready to leave?" Barry said as he arrived.

"What the hell took you so long?" We both said.

"What do you mean?"

"You had to get here by 7 you moron. Dawn was late but not half as bad as you."

"Whoops sorry I thought it was 9."

"Paul and I should fine you for what you did."

"Hey that's my line."

"Can we just go now?" I said calmly

"Well you seem eager Paul. Can't blame you though I'm eager to win the Kanto grand festival,"

"Shut up. I'm not eager to go I just don't want to waste any time when I can be training."

"Alright both of you it's time to get going you can fight later. Now goodbye" Reggie said.

"By mom love you."

"By Dawn."

"By dad when I come back I'll be a great trainer."

"You better or else I'm going to fine you."

"Do we really have to take him with us?" I asked

"Yes Paul, trust me you'll be the best of friends."

"I told you I don't need any friends."

"Well either way good by Paul I'll miss you little bro."

"Just you wait I'm going to do the one thing you couldn't do."

"I hope so good luck."

"Whatever see ya."

"Goodbye Paul."

Dawn, Barry and I all got on the boat that would take use to Kanto and said our final goodbyes.

* * *

While we were on the boat for a while we explored it a little bit. One of the good things the boat had was an arena were trainers could have battles. Barry instantly ran there to train. Dawn and I went walking around the ship to see what it looked like.

"Do you miss Reggie at all?" Dawn asked me after a few minutes of walking.

"No."

"Why he's your brother and you won't see him for a while."

"I told you at the Sinnoh league I don't get along with him. I don't get why he quite being a Pokémon trainer."

"I think you don't really hate him. You're just mad at him for that one decision."

"Maybe but what difference does it make. Either way soon we'll be in Kanto and I'll begin my new journey."

"You seem calmer now for some reason."

"I guess so."

"Hey Dawn is that you." I heard a boy say.

"Hey no way is that you Kenny what are you doing here." Dawn said saying hi to clearly an old friend of hers

"I'm heading to Kanto to compete in the contests too"

"Really that's great so am I."

"That's great. Then um I was wondering do you want to go on a journey together."

"Sorry Kenny but I'm already heading out with other people."

"What? Who are you going with? Is it Ash and Brock?"

"Well no."

"Then who?"

"That would be me and Barry actually."

"What are you serious? I saw you during the Sinnoh league and you treated your Pokémon with no respect at all. Why the hell would Dawn be traveling with a bastard like you?"

This kid was starting to piss me off. Who the hell was he to talk all this trash about me even though he's only seen me on TV?

"Look if you have a problem with me then let's settle it with a battle."

"You took the words right out of my mouth and if I win then Dawn has to leave you guys and go on a journey with me."

"Sorry but I'm not agreeing to that."

"Why are you scared you're gonna lose."

"Please as if. I may not have wanted to go on a journey with anyone but It's not my place to agree to a bet like that. If you want to make a bet like that, then you should be battling Dawn."

"No way, I want to battle you."

"Look you wouldn't even be able to beat Dawn let alone me." I said calmly.

"Paul, Kenny can you two stop fighting."

"This isn't a fight it's just this guy acting like a child and getting mad."

"You better shut up before I Kick your ass."

"What the hell is all that noise in here." someone said as he entered the room.

I recognized the boy at once. He entered the Sinnoh league and lost to Ash.

"Hey aren't you Conway."

"That's right and what are you doing here Paul." He then saw Dawn. "Well if it isn't Dawn. I have some big news I want to tell you."

"Uh, hey Conway. What is it you want to tell me?" Dawn said clearly creeped out by him

"I've decided to start contests and see how they work for me."

"Who are you?" Kenny asked.

"Conway's the name and you are."

"I'm Kenny hey didn't I see you during the Sinnoh league."

"That's right and I believe I saw you participate in the grand festival."

"Yea so you're going to start trying contests huh well it's always good to meet a new coordinator."

"Conway why exactly are you trying contest now." Dawn asked. I could clearly see he creped her out.

"Well since I lost to Ash I thought I'd try something different. From what I heard Nando and a girl named Zoey are heading to Kanto too."

"Oh ya can't wait to face you." Dawn said sarcastically

"Yes indeed. By the way why were you guys fighting?"

"This coward's scared to battle me." Kenny said pointing at me. He really wanted to get his ass beaten.

"Why won't you battle him Paul?'

"Because he's telling me that if I lose then he would get to travel with Dawn and it's not my place to accept that bet."

"Well then I have just the solution why don't we have a double battle me and Kenny vs. you and Dawn."

"Fine sounds fair. I'm fine with it what about you. If we use you have to travel with this loser." I said assigning Dawn her opium.

"Kenny's not a loser just a bit of a dork."

"Hey." Kenny said embarrassed which made me smile a bit.

"Sure I'll battle with you Paul." Dawn said looking excited.

"Conway was it listen there's no way we can lose." Kenny said.

"Don't worry I've calculated Paul and Dawns team along with their strategies we could be fine."

"Good then. And Paul since we're making bets hen if we win then you also have to return home and forget this journey of yours."

"Isn't it enough that you'll already be traveling with Dawn? But fine it doesn't matter since I'm gonna win. But since we're putting so much up then we better get something in when we win."

"Don't worry I know the perfect thing to give you two." Conway said.

"What is it?" Dawn asked

"You'll just have to win."

"Fine let's get to the arena." I said.

* * *

We headed down to the arena. The arena was one of those classic arenas that was mostly brown and had a Poke ball in the middle. We saw Barry there as we arrived.

"Paul guess what." Barry called out, waving to them. "I just won 5 straight battles."

"That's great Barry now move me and Dawn have to have a tag battle."

"What can I be part of it."

"Sorry Barry but not right now okay." Dawn said.

"All of you guys are gonna get fined."

"That's great now move." I then turned to Dawn. "Don't slow me down."

"That's my line. But either way no need to worry."

"I'm still gonna."

"You guys can choose first." Conway said.

"Right Cyndaquil take the spotlight."

"Froslass stand by for battle."

"Go Floatzel"

"Shuckle, Come on out."

"Hmm that's weird." Dawn said.

"What's weird?" I asked.

"Well I could've sworn Ash's Gible murdered that Shuckle during the Sinnoh league." Dawn exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, I remember that. In that case i should've caught a Gible."

"Cyndaquil use swift."

"Shuckle use Withdraw."

The stars hit Floatzel and Shuckle. But it looked like Shuckle barley felt anything.

"Use Withdraw again." Shuckle obeyed

"Froslass use Ice beam on Shuckle."

"Floatzel get in the way and use aqua jet straight into the Ice beam."

Floatzel used Aqua het into the beam to freeze his own attack.

"Wait isn't that." I said realizing what he was doing."

"I told you I watched the Sinnoh league and I learned a few things."

"Cyndaquil get in the way and use ember."

"No don't do that you idiot!" I screamed

But it was too late The Cyndaquil did stop the Ice but all Dawn did was melt is so it became a normal Aqua jet. Normally this would be good but since Cyndaquil was a fire type it did more damage.

"What's wrong with you why the hell did you make such a stupid mistake?"

"I was trying to help you so stop being so mean."

"Floatzel hit them both with whirlpool while there distracted."

The Whirlpool hit both Cyndaquil and Froslass with great force. I knew this was bad at the rate we were going there was no way we could win.

"Shuckle use withdraw once again."

"Hey Conway you could help me and Floatzel out and not just use withdraw all day long."

"Don't worry Kenny it's all part of the plan besides with the way those two are cooperating this match is as good as won."

_Damn it this is bad. If I lose this then I'll never be able to do what Reggie couldn't. No I won't accept that there has to be some way to win this. If we can't this all ends here._ I thought to myself.

To be continued

* * *

_Dawn: well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks again for continuing to read. Next time me and Paul will finish the battle with Kenny and Conway._

_Paul: Just make sure you don't get us into a bigger whole than we're already in._

_Dawn: Shut up I'm trying my best._

_Barry: God damnit you guys I still haven't had any official battles yet next chapter I better get a chance to face someone or your all goanna get fined._

_Dawn: Okay maybe next time you will get a chance to face someone._

_Barry: alright._

_Paul: You act like a child_

_Dawn: Please review to let us know what you think and what you want to be improved on and thanks again for reading. Also let us know if theres any characters you'd like to make an appearance in the story. Weather it's Gary, Harrison, Morrison, or any one from Ash's past. Let us know and we'll try to add them._

_Paul: Great more people for me to beat._

_Dawn: Don't get to confident Paul or else you'll definently lose._

_Paul: Shut up._

_Barry: Well see you all next time by._

_Dawn: see you guys later._

_Paul: See ya. _

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.


	3. Chapter 3 Arrival in Kanto

_Dawn: All right finally here's the 3rd chapter of the story._

_Paul: today we will finish our battle against Conway and Kenny._

_Barry: And I better get a chance to battle today or I'm gonna fine you and Dawn_

_Paul: Maybe you will maybe you won't._

_Dawn: Cut it out you two now let's start the chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 3 Arrival in Kanto**

Dawn and I were in trouble at this rate there was no chance of victory.

"Paul got any ideas on how we can beat these two guys." Dawn asked showing great concern.

"None right now. Our best bet is to stay calm."

"We need to start working together otherwise we don't stand a chance."

"Well what bright ideas do you have?"

"No need to worry Cyndaquil use Smokescreen now."

Cyndaquil shot out smoke and made it impossible to see.

_I see she's trying to by us time. Know I have to think of a plain. All Conway has done this battle is raise his Shuckle's defense so I'm betting he's going to use Power Trick to give his Shuckle Attack in exchange for its defense. How do we beat Floatzel though? If it uses Aqua Jet then my Ice beams useless it's other move is Whirlpool how do we stop that._ I thought. "That's it Dawn listen carefully I know how to beat them."

"You did, how?"

I whispered my plan to her.

"But Paul isn't that a little risky." Dawn said with some concern

"I don't either but it's our best bet."

"Floatzel use Razor wind." we heard Kenny say as his Floatzel blew the smoke away

"Well since you two used that trick I'm guessing you two are desperate. Kenny Finish them off now. Oh and Shuckle use withdraw once more" Conway said confidently.

"Well Dawn looks like we'll soon be going on a journey together. Floatzel use Whirlpool."

I smiled because that ideot just did just what we wanted to do. "Froslass freeze the whirlpool with ice beam."

"Now Cyndaquil knock the Frozen Whirl pool into Floatzel with Swift."

First Froslass froze the whirlpool in the middle of the attack and then as Ordered Cyndaquil knocked the frozen Whirlpool into Floatzel shattering the whirlpool.

"Damnit Floatzel get up and use aqua jet."

Floatzel charged at Froslass.

"Froslass use Shadow Ball. To stop it."

Froslass shot a Shadow ball point blank and sent Floatzel flying. But the Pokémon wasn't beaten yet it kept getting up.

"Enough, time to end this. Use Shadow Ball one more." said Paul

"Dodge it Floatzel"

Floatzel jumped to the left.

"Alright I dodged it."

"Now Dawn."

"Right use ember straight toward the Shadow ball."

"But when the flames hit that ball of Shadows and Gas-" Conway said worried.

When the flames hit the shadow Ball it caused an explosion that hit Floatzel and Shuckle.

"flo Floatzel." The Floatzel said as it fainted. I felt so good to take down that loser's Pokémon.

"Oh no Floatzel lost. Come one Conway you have to win. Otherwise I can't go on my journey with Dawn."

"Don't worry my plan will win me this battle." Conway said

"If I had to guess Conway will use Power trick once he gets the chance but he might have a plain." I said calmly.

"So which of us should attack him first?"

"I'll go first. Froslass use Ice Beam."

Froslass hit the Shuckle dead on but it didn't do anything. It just bounced off of it. How we were gonna hurt I have no Idea.

"Shuckle hit Froslass with Toxic."

Shuckle hit Froslass and dealt center and badly poisoned it

"You see Paul This time I'm gonna just wait and let my poison kill you and since Cyndaquil is weak I will just take it out quickly. Shuckle hold down the Cyndaquil with Wrap attack."

Shuckle grabbed Cyndaquil and started crushing it.

"Oh no Cyndaquil. Paul help. Please"

"Froslass use shadow ball to get the Shuckle off of Cyndaquil."

The Shadow ball was fired straight toward the Shuckle.

"Jump off of the Cyndaquil and left the Shadow Ball hit it instead."

As the Shuckle dodged the move it hit the Cyndaquil which nearly almost knocked Dawns Cyndaquil.

"Damn it at Froslass is losing health from the poison and I can't even hurt Shuckle."

"So how do we win."

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

"Simple the two of you two won't defeat me you have no chance of victory. And with the way you two are battle ling it seems like you'll just defeat each other."

"Damn you. Just shut up."

"Wait a second. That's it. Paul I know how were gonna win this right here and know."

"Well what is your plan?"

"I'll show you Cyndaquil use Ember on Froslass."

"Cyndaquil nailed Froslass with a barrage of flames."

"Wait what are you-." I was about to say but then I realized what Dawn was trying to do. "Know I see what you're planning. Fine keep it up."

"What on Earth are those two planning to do. I've never seen this kind of strategy." Conway said confused

"What are you waiting for Conway hurry up and win so Dawn and I can go on our journey"

"God is that the only thing you care about." Conway asked.

"Sorry Kenny but Paul and I are winning this battle. Cyndaquil Use Ember on Froslass some more and don't stop."

Cyndaquil kept on hitting Froslass until it looked like Froslass was about to faint.

"Do it Paul"

"You don't need to tell me Froslass use Destiny Bond on Shuckle."

"Wait but that means."

"You're going down with me."

Froslass hit Shuckle and bonded the two of them together.

"Now Cyndaquil use flame wheel to finish off Froslass."

Cyndaquil hit Froslass head on defeating it and almost instantly Shuckle went down too.

"See we don't need a Gible to kill a Shuckle." I said

"All aright told you there was no need to worry." Dawn said happily.

"I did not expect them to come back and win. This will make some excellent data to study." Conway said in a dorky way.

"What the hell Conway you said we'd defiantly win. Now Dawn will still be traveling with that asswhole." Kenny complained.

"Sorry Kenny but I promised my mom that I would help Paul and Barry by going on a journey with them."

"But it's just so unfair. Why does he get to spend time with you but I don't even when I knew you since we were children."

"Can you please stop whining you little brat. Stop acting like a child." I said to Kenny

"Look I only lost because Conway made a small mistake that coast us the match."

"A good trainer takes responsibility when he loses and doesn't blame anyone else. You lost simply because you got to comfortable when you took a small lead. Because of this you let your guard down and that coast you the match. Stop blaming other people because you were pathetic. People like you really piss me off." I said calmly.

I then walked up to him and whispered into his ear so only he could hear. "With the way you act it's no wonder she would rather travel with me and Barry than a brat like you." I then walked away leaving Kenny looking depressed and moping.

"What did you tell him Paul?" Dawn asked me

"I just told him that he should take responsibility for his own defeat. But maybe I was too hard on the child."

"That's not very nice Paul."

"When have I ever been nice. Besides we beat them fair and square and then this brat just makes excuses for his defeat. People like him piss me off." I then turned to Conway. "Well we won so what are you going to give us."

"Right don't worry I have just the reward. Follow me and you two will get your reward."

"It better be good." I said

Dawn and I followed Conway across the boat to an area that had a store that had a sigh that said "Pokémon Daycare" on it. I rolled my eyes at what I thought he was planning.

"What the hell are we doing here?" I asked annoyed

"You'll see once we enter the store."

We then into the store and what did it have inside of it? Eggs more eggs than I ever saw in my life. The room was painted a very light orange color and had shelves upon shelves filled with eggs.

"Please tell me you brought us here to buy us breakfast." I said

"Very funny Paul." Conway said and he then walked over to a cashier a desk. "I'm here to pick up the two eggs I ordered my names Conway."

"Right just let me check the computer." He then checked "Ah I see just let me go get them." The man then walked into to the back to get the eggs (god wasn't there enough eggs in the store to choose from.

"You see you two earlier today I ordered two eggs. I was going to study them but since you two beat me I'd rather see how the Pokémon inside them grow up with you two as trainers. So they will be your prizes."

"Really wow that sounds so cool doesn't it Paul?" Dawn said sounding really excited.

"No it doesn't. Why would I want an egg? When a Pokémon hatches from an egg it's instantly at the lowest level. What would I do with a weak Pokémon like that?"

"Look Paul we fought hard for this prize the least you could do is take it. And the Pokémon will become powerful if you just trained it."

"God you're annoying but fine I'll take the egg."

"Now, now stop fighting. Dawn I bought a green egg and a brown egg which one will you want." Conway said

"I wonder which one I should pick. What do you think Paul?"

"I don't see how I matters both of them will be weak s just pick one."

"Well thanks for the help Paul." Dawn said to me sarcastically. "Well I guess I'll go with the Green colored egg."

"Very well here you go. And as for you Paul you will get the brown egg."

"Fine whatever it doesn't make a difference whichever egg I get."

"Now since each of you hold an egg you should each send over one of your Pokémon. You do know own to do that."

"Of course we do. It's common sense. Everyone knows how to do that." I said

"Um. Paul I've never had more than 6 Pokémon on me at one time so I don't know how to exchange."

"What are you serious? How did you get Ambipom then?"

"Well I ask the Ping Pong Comity to send over Ambipom and I just left my Pachirisu at home with my mom, So how do you exchange."

"All you have to do is hit the red button on your Pokédex and then type in the name of the Pokémon you wants to send back." I took out my Pokédex and hit the red button to show her. I then typed in Gastrodon and sent my Gastrodon to Reggie. "see it's easy."

"Wow that's so cool." She said. I swear I've never seen someone get so excited over something so simple. Must be from spending so much time with Ash. "So let's see all I have to do is push this button and type in one of my Pokémon's names. But which one should I choose."

"Since you're doing contest you should send home someone who's not good at contest. Maybe your Mamoswine." I suggested.

"Good Idea. Thanks Paul I owe you one." She then sent her Mamoswine away. "One question though were did Mamoswine go to."

"Your Pokémon will always go to the Professor who gave you your first Pokémon." I explained "Unless of course you register I to go to someone else. In my case I told Reggie to keep all of my Pokémon."

"Oh I get it thanks. You know for someone that hates Reggie so much you sure do trust him a lot."

"Look our relationship is complicated. Don't go asking about things that don't concern you."

"Okay okay fine. I get it. Oh right thanks for the egg Conway."

"Not a problem Dawn. Take good care of them you two. Well I'll be goimg now but we'll meet again just you wait." Conway said as he walked away.

"Ugh he sure is a creepy guy isn't he Paul? So what do you want to do now?"

"Nothing I'm going train some more."

"But we're on a ship where are you gonna train."

"I'll find somewhere to train. I have to get ready for the battle frontier."

"Geese don't you ever just relax and have fun? Besides we both just fought a hard battle aren't you a bit hungry."

"No I'm fine" I said but my stomach hen growled.

"Well it looks like you're stomach disagrees so let's get something to eat. I hear they have Ice cream on the top deck and I want to try some so let's go." Dawn said as she ran off

"Just how much energy does she have? I have a feeling she's gonna be a pain in my ass." I said as I followed her.

* * *

"Yum this sure is good right Paul" Dawn said as she ate her chocolate ice cream.

"It's fine I suppose" I said annoyed. The Ice cream wasn't free and Dawn forgot her wallet so she made me pay for everything.

"Hey are you still mad that I forgot my wallet I already apologized."

"Who the hell charges 600 Poké dollars for a damn Ice cream cone? I don't even think the Sinnoh League was that expensive."

_I almost feel sorry for that Kenny kid. It's obvious he likes Dawn and if she ever becomes his girlfriend he's going to become broke._ I thought to myself.

"No need to worry. I swear I'll pay you back."

"For some reason I find that very hard to believe."

She then went silence for a minute. "Thanks by the way"

"What are you thanking me for?"

"You stood up for me and agreed to help me in the double battle even though you could've just let me face Kenny but you choose to help me."

"He just bothered me that's all."

"Well still thanks. Kenny's has a good heart but he can be a bit childish and a bit of a dork at times. Sorry he caused you so much trouble."

"Whatever it doesn't matter. Either way makes sure you beat him if you ever face him again."

"No need to worry I won't ever lose to him. He's one of my rivals so I have to always win. Kind of like you and Ash. Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

"I really don't care me and him ended our rivalry."

"Yea but still it would be cool to see you two have another battle. Either way thanks again for the help."

"Thanks for not getting in my way I suppose."

"I'll take that as a compliment" Her poketch then started ringing and she answered it. "Hello who is this?"

"Dawn hurry up and get down here I'm about to have my tenth battle in a row and I want you and Paul to see it. If you're not here soon I'm gonna fine you guys" we heard Barry's voice say.

"Hey wait a minute. ' Dawn started to say but Barry had hung up. "God he doesn't give you a chance to talk does he? Well we better get going to see his battle."

"I suppose if we don't we'll never here the end of it from him so let's go."

"Agreed" Dawn said

The two of us headed to the battle arena to find Barry getting ready to go one on one against Kenny.

"Hey guys you made it just in time we're about to start." Barry said.

"Why are you battling Kenny" Dawn asked.

"Well since we're both from Twinleaf town I thought we should see who's better." Kenny mentioned.

"I see well good luck to both of you."

"Barry kick his ass." I said. I usually don't care about battles that don't involve me but I suppose I should make an exception since that Kenny kid annoys the hell out of me.

"Don't worry Paul there's no way I'd lose"

"Asswhole." I heard Kenny mutter under his breath.

"All right lets go Empoleon." Barry said as he sent out his partner.

"I'll use my Empoleon as well" Kenny said as he sent out his Empoleon

"Wow Empoleon vs. Empoleon I wonder who will win." Dawn said

"We'll just have to wait and see." I spoke

"One things for sure I think this will be a confusing battle since they are using the same Pokémon."

"Alright let's begin Empoleon use Metal claw." Kenny called out

"Empoleon lets hit him hard with steal wing."

Kenny's Empoleon tried to hit Barry's Empoleon but Barry's was faster and it sent Kenny's Empoleon flying."

"Keep up the seal wing Empoleon." Barry said

"Wait for it to get case and use Flash Cannon."

The moment Barry's Empoleon was close. Kenny's Empoleon hit it dead on with Flash cannon which caused Barry's Empoleon's special defense to lower.

"Oh no this is bad."

"Use Flash Cannon Again"

"Counter it with Hyper beam!" Barry yelled.

Both attacks got fired at the same time but Hyper beam cut straight through the Flash Cannon like it was butter and hit Kenny's Empoleon dead on.

"Empoleon get up and use Hydro Cannon on Barry's Empoleon."

"Dodge it." Barry called but his Empoleon couldn't move after using Hyper beam so it got hit.

"All right lets finish this with drill peck." But this time Kenny's Empoleon had to rest.

"Alright now Empoleon hit it with steel wing."

Barry's Empoleon ran up to Kenny's Empoleon and started hitting it with Steel wing.

"Empoleon if you can move use metal claw right now." Kenny ordered as his Empoleon started using his claw to attack. He then collided with Barry's Empoleon and they each exchange blows weakening the other by the second. Soon both were hurt badly and soon they both started to gain a blue aura around them.

"Hey Paul isn't that." Dawn said

"Yea it's torrent. Since it activated at the same time for both of them, then that means that this battle is almost over. Let's see if Barry can win this." I stated

"Use Hydro Cannon" both trainers said at the same time. As the two Pokémon fired the same attack at the same time. The attacks both cancelled each other out leaving both Pokémon to wait a minute before they could attack again.

"Now use Drill Peck." The two trainers said again as there Pokémon collided with each other with equal strength but Kenny's was a bit faster so it sent Barry's Empoleon flying backwards.

"No way how did Kenny's win they seemed to have equal strength." Dawn said.

"They did have equal strength but Kenny's Empoleon was just a bit faster so he won. When strength is equal speed is what wins battles." I said

"Alright Empoleon use drill peck to win us this battle." Kenny said confidently.

Kenny's Empoleon went straight towards Barry's Empoleon with its beak drilling and was about to hit it.

"Now Empoleon catch it." Barry yelled as his Empoleon caught Kenny's Empoleon with I's wings and stopped its beak from spinning

"Alright Empoleon use Hydro Cannon from point Blank." Kenny said

"Push its beak down and Jump over it to dodge."

Kenny's Empoleon tried to hit Barry's Empoleon but Barry's Empoleon knocked the beak down and jumped straight over it and dodged the Hydro Cannon.

"Now since it can't move send it flying with Metal claw!" Barry yelled as his Empoleon hit Kenny's Empoleon and sent it flying. "Know while it's still recovering finish this with Hydro Cannon." Barry said once more and this time his Empoleon fired its attack and it hit its target head on and with the boost from Empoleon's torrent ability it dealt major damage. With the boost of power Barry's Empoleon was able to send Kenny's Empoleon flying backwards and it slammed it into a wall which knocked Kenny's Empoleon out.

"No Empoleon" said Kenny realizing that he had just lost.

"All right we did it. We won." Barry said with excitement.

"Good job Barry. Too bad Kenny you did well." Dawn said to him.

"Yea it was a great battle. Let's fight again some time." Barry said

"Yea I guess I just don't get why I keep losing." Kenny complained

"Still whining I see." I said speaking up. "Listen you lost this time because once again you rush into the battle and you don't think before you act. Because you rush in you make it really easy for people to counter attack you."

"He's right Kenny if you keep rushing into things you'll never win. You have to learn to stay calm and not rush into things." Dawn said

"That's what I just said not even a minute ago." I told her

"Oh yea sorry."

"But still I get what you're trying to say. Okay then I'll keep training and we'll meet again later. See you guys soon." Kenny said

"He knows we will most likely run into him on the boat again. But either way I'm heading to bed it was a long day and I need some sleep." I said

"Me too I'm tired." Dawn said

"Come on you guys how can you be tired already. Let's party all night." Barry said

"Not gonna happen I just want the rest of this trip to be calm and relaxing until we get to Kanto." Dawn said.

"Fine then me and Paul will-"

"No." I said before Barry could come up with some crazy idea.

"I swear I'm gonna fine you two." Barry said as Dawn and I left to get some sleep.

* * *

The rest of the trip went by rather calmly Dawn, Barry and I trained a bit but other than that nothing much happened. Our eggs didn't seem to be coming close to hatching so we relaxed for the most part. We ran into Kenny and Conway a few more times but neither of them wanted to battle. I was glad about that Conway was kind of annoying and I couldn't stand Kenny. By the 5th day we had heard that the boat had arrived in Kanto.

_At last now we can finally lave and start the real journey._ I thought

"You ready Paul." Dawn said

"Defiantly finally we have arrived in Kanto." I said as we exited the ship.

To Be Continued

* * *

_Dawn: Well this chapter had quite a few battles._

_Barry: Yea we all kicked butt._

_Dawn: And now that we're finally in Kanto. I'm so excited._

_Barry: Same here there will man new trainers to beat._

_Dawn: What do you think Paul?_

_Paul: I think you still haven't paid me back for that ice cream I bought you._

_Dawn: Whoops I forgot. Either way thanks t all the readers who have enjoyed this story we hope you enjoyed this chapter. As usual please review to let us know what you think so far and I there's anything you think we could improve on. See you all next time. _


	4. Chapter 4 The Great Professor Oak's Lab

_Dawn:Hey everyone hows it going. hope your all enjoying the story so far._

_Paul:We finally got off of that damn ship and got rid of those weirdo's Kenny and Conway._

_Dawn:Do you have to be so mean to my friends._

_Paul:I'm not mean because they're your friends I'm mean because I just don't like them_

_Barry: Jeez Paul why are you always such a stick in the mud._

_Dawn: Barry's right you should be a little more happy we finally arrived in Kanto._

_Paul: Fine at least soon I'll be able to challenge the Battle frontier. Either way let's not waste any time and start the chapter._

* * *

_**Chapter 4 The Great Professor Oak's Lab **_

"Alright, we're finally here!" Barry exclaimed running off of the ship.

"Hey slow down Barry I'm excited too but we shouldn't just run off. " Dawn said.

"I know that Dawn, but I'm still excited to be here for the first time ever. Paul you've been here before. What's it like here?"

"Well right now we're in Pallet town." I said.

"Hey isn't that were the great professor Oak lives." Barry said.

"Yea that's right. What about it?"

"Wow that's so cool. Do you think it would be cool if we paid him a visit." Barry asked.

"Great idea Barry. Also Ash is from Pallet town, maybe we should stop by his house for a visit." Dawn suggested.

"Why should we do that?" I asked. I really wasn't in the mood to see Ash right now. And even if I was I'm sure he wouldn't even be home.

"Come on Paul it will be fun. Let's go." Dawn said

"I think we should go too and after that we should see Professor Oak."

"That sounds like fun."

"Look I would rather just leave here and head for the first Frontier Brain then make unnecessary visits." I said

"To bad Paul we out voted you two to one so we're going." Dawn said happily as she and Barry started heading to Ash's house. I decided to follow but after a minute I stopped.

"Hey Dawn, Barry" I yelled after them.

"What is it Paul?" Dawn asked me.

"Do either of you know where Ash lives"

"Whoops I guess he never told me." Dawn said embarrassed

"The two of you traveled together for a year and you don't even know where he lives."

"Well he never really talked about his old life."

"Well how do you suppose we find his house?"

Dawn thought for a minute. "I got it. All we have to do is visit professor Oak's Lab first. After that we can get Ash's address and visit him at his house. That is if he's even home."

"Whatever let's get going." I said

On our way to the lab I noticed how peaceful Pallet town was compared to Veilstone city. It was also a lot cleaner and it didn't even have a gym. Not that our city had a powerful gym. I remembered how easily I defeated Maylene. I found it ironic how someone with as much energy as Ash came from such a peaceful town. To be honest though this place seemed pretty boring and dull.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking we finally made it to Oak's Lab which was without a doubt completely different from the rest of the town. While most of the place was quiet, small, and peaceful, this place was enormous and filled with all types of the latest gadgets from the major Pokémon corporations

"Well here we are. Let's go see if anyone is home." Dawn said as she knocked on the door.

The door was soon opened, not but Professor Oak, but by a much younger looking male that wore a white lab coat.

"Hey I remember you. You're the professor's grandson." Dawn exclaimed.

"I see you still don't remember my name. It's Gary, Gary Oak." Gary introduced himself. "And aren't you Dawn?"

"Yup that's me." Dawn replied, motioning to herself.

"Well good to see you again. But who are these two kids?"

"I'm Barry"

"My name is Paul."

"Barry and Paul. How do I know those names?" Gary then thought for a minute. "Oh yeah, I remember now weren't the two of you rivals of Ash."

"That's right. So he mentioned us." I said

"Yea he talked a lot about you guys. I also watched the Sinnoh league on TV so I saw your battle. You were both really good." He then turned to me. "It's funny seeing Ash battle you reminded me of when I faced him in the Johto League. But enough about that please come in." He said as he led us inside the lab.

The place was a lot plainer then I expected it to be. He took us to a living room that looked surprisingly like your normal living room. It had a sofa, a few chairs, a table, some old pictures of people, and a old TV.

"I'll go get my Grandpa for you guys. Also do you want anything to eat or drink?" Gary asked.

"You bet I'm starving." Barry said.

"You could show some manners and say please Barry." Dawn said as Gary laughed and left the room.

I was looking around at all the pictures but one caught my eye. I got up and walked over to it.

"Paul what are you doing?" Dawn asked but I wasn't really paying attention instead I picked up the picture.

It was a picture of Ash. But not only that, he had his Pikachu, a Bulbasaur, a Squirtle, and a Charizard all with him. In his hand I saw a plaque that held seven symbols. Seven frontier symbols. I remembered Ash saying he beat Brandon but part of me didn't believe him. After all he couldn't even defeat me until the Sinnoh League and yet he once was able to beat Brandon. Seeing this picture mad me angry. I couldn't stand that he was able to beat Brandon so much earlier than I could.

"What's wrong Paul?" Dawn asked but then she saw the picture. "Hey it's Ash. And he's holding all frontier symbols. "She then saw I was getting angry. "Hey let's just put this back where we found it okay." She said as she took the picture from my hands and placed it back where it was.

I looked at some other pictures of Ash from them I saw him in different regions with a different team of Pokémon each Region. Below each Picture there was a plaque that showed how far he made it in each of the leagues.

Kanto: top 16

Johoto: top 8

Hoenn: top 8

Sinnoh: top 4

I also saw a picture that said Orange Island champion on it. The picture had Ash holding a trophy with a Pikachu, Squirtle, Charizard, Bulbasaur, Turos, and a Larpras in it. I was surprised because I never knew he had a Turos and a Lapras.

"Ah I see your looking at all of Ash's previous accomplishments." I heard a voice say.

I turned to see Professor Oak standing in the doorway. (I recognized him from Tv).

"You must be Paul very nice to meet you." He then looked at Dawn "Hello again Dawn." He looked at Barry. "And you must be Barry. Ash has told me a lot about all of you."

"Wow you must be Professor Oak." Barry said

"That's right Barry. So what brings all of you to Kanto?" Oak asked us as Gary entered the room with some snacks and drinks.

* * *

"I see so Paul wants to challenge the Battle Frontier like Ash did. Dawn wants to collect the Kanto Ribbon. So why are you here Barry?" Oak said after a we had explaned everything to him.

"I came here to get some great training and beat any trainers that I can"

"I see. You all have very good goals that will help each of you in your growth." Oak said

"Excuse me Professor but could you tell us where Ash lives we would like to go visit him." Dawn asked

"I'd love to but here's one problem. Ash isn't home anymore. He left and started a new journey in the Unova region."

"The Unova Region? What's that." Dawn asked turning to me

"Don't ask me I've never even heard of it." I told Dawn

"The Unova Region is an area that has Pokemon that cannot be found in any of the other Regions. Ash went there to start a new journey."

"I knew he would do something like that." I said calmly

"Yea I guess you were right Paul. It's too bad I was hoping we could all see Ash again." Dawn said sadly.

"Well it's too bad you all can't see Ash but I can show all of you guys something just as cool." Gary said. "Just follow me."

We followed him as he led us outside. The outside of the Lab looked like the perfect place to raise Pokémon and a great place for a battlefield. There were a rocky area, a lake for water type Pokémon, and a meadow for all other Pokémon.

Gary then took out a box full of Pokéball.

"Who what's up with all of the Pokeballs Gary?" Barry asked Gary

"Inside each of these Pokéball are all of the Pokémon Ash has ever caught." Gary said as he opened all of the Pokéball.

Inside each of them I saw a Bulbasaur, a Kingler, a Muk, 30 Turos (Why the hell does he have so many), a Snorlax, a Heracross, a Noctowl, a Totodile, a Bayleef, Donphan,a Qullava, a Torkoal, a Glalle, a Corphish, a Swellow, a Sceptile and then all guys I recognized, his Gible, his Buizel, his Staraptor, his Torterra, and his… Infernape.

All of Ash's guys looked happy to be out of their Pokéball. Then suddenly Infernape saw me. But the weird thing was it didn't look angry if anything it looked sad to see me. Perhaps it was remembering when I was its trainer and it felt bad remembering how bad I treated it. It just stared at me for a minute. Both of us stared at each other for a minute looking each other in the eyes. I half thought that Infernape would attack me but it didn't do that. It just smiled and turned to walk away. I couldn't understand shouldn't he hate me for the way I treated him. shouldn't he be sick of the sight of me. I then saw something stance Infernape was playing and having a good time with the other Pokémon.

"I don't understand." I said quietly.

"If you ask me I think Infernape has forgiven you for the way you treated it." Dawn said as she approached me.

"Why would it ever forgive me? I treated it like dirt. And pushed it to its limits. It ended up being so much happier with Ash and more importantly it was able to unlock its true potential.

"Infernape knew that all you wanted was to unlock it full potential. In your own way you were trying to help Infernape. Don't get me wrong you were a complete asshole and I wanted to kick your ass back then but you've changed now. Your still a bit of a dick but you seem more nicer."

I turned and walked away. "Don't get the wrong idea Dawn. I still believe power is everything a trainer needs and I have no intention of training my Pokemon like Ash does."

"Well we'll fix your problems little by little." Dawn said with a giggle.

"We'll see." I said a

"GIble" we turned and saw Ash'a GIble right by us

"whats it doing here?" Barry asked

Suddenly Gible jumped up and bit Barry's head.

"Someone get this thing off of me or I'm gonna fine all of you."

"Piplup use bubble beam to knock off Gible." Dawn said as her Piplup fired it's bubble beam and hit Gible off of Barry's head.

"Gib." Gible said as it noticed Pilup.

"Hey what is Gible doing?" I asked noticing how Gible was looking up.

It suddenly fired a Draco Meteor into the sky but when the ball got high enough it went dead and fell down to hit Piplup.

"Plup." we saw Piplup say as it was in pain.

"What the hell just happened I thought Gible mastered Draco Meteor." Dawn said annoyed.

I looked and noticed Gible was laughing. "I think Gible messed Draco Meteor up on purpose." I said

"Are you serious. Why would you do that Gible. Poor Piplup"

"I thought it was funny." I said as Dawn gave me a dirty look. "Well I think we shouldd be going know." I said as I turned to leave.

"Hey Paul wait a minute. You made it to the top 8 in the Sinnoh League right?" Gary asked.

"Yeah why?"

"Well me and Ash used to be the greatest rivals for quite some time. So what do you say we have a battle to see who is the better rival of his?"

I stared at him for a second thinking about what I should do. "Wow I would love to see you two have a battle." Dawn said as she clasped her hands together.

"Come on it'll be good training." Gary said.

"Fine lets battle but let's only make it one on one. I don't have all of my Pokemon in top order."

"Sounds good to me. Maybe one day we can have a full 6 on 6 battle. But for today let's make it one on one."

"Okay I'll be the Referee for your battle." Oak said to us.

"Sounds good thanks Grandpa."

"I'm fine with that." Paul said.

"Good luck Paul." Dawn said.

"You better not lose or I'm gonna fine you." Barry told me.

"Great but first let me send out these three little guys." Oak said as he sent out a Charmander, a Squirtle, and a Bulbasaur.

"Aw they are all so cute." Dawn said.

"Why did you send them out" I asked.

"These three little guys need to see what a real battle is like. So I thought that I'd let them see this one."

"This will be a one on one Pokemon battle between Gary and Paul. Begin"

"Alright Scizor let's do this." Gary said as he sent out his Scizor.

"Electivire stand by for battle." I said as I sent out my Electivire.

"Begin."

"Scizor use Agility." Gary said as his Scizor spreads its wings, boosting its speed stat as the frequency of its vibrations increased.

"Electivire use Thunder on Scizor." Paul commanded.

Electiveire used Thunder, causing a large lightning bolt to drop out of the sky toward Scizor who avoided it using its superior speed.

"Scizor use swords dance to raise your attack." Gary called out.

Scizor raised its attack next as its claws gained a glossy shine.

"Electivire use Thunder Punch on Scizor while it's raising its attack."

Elctivire rushed at Scizor, slamming fist into the body of Scizor which sent it flying.

"Now use fire punch to deal major damage." I said.

"Dodge it and use X scissor." Gary told his Scizor to do.

Scizor moved to the left with great speed and hit Electivire with great force sending it flying backwards.

"DO the three of you see how Gary pulled that off. He waited until I Paul thought it was safe to attack and he then countered it" I heard Oak saying to the three starter Pokemon.

"Get up right now Electivire and use Thunder"

"Counter with Flash Cannon."

The two attacks collided with each other canceling the other one out.

"Use X scissor"

"Thunder punch and Fire punch at the same time."

The two Pokemon exchanged blows but Electivire couldn't get any hits in. Scizor just kept dodging all of our attacks and we didn't get the chance to hit it. Suddenly Scizor appeared behind Electivire and hit it straight in the back, making Electivire drop to one knee.

"Well I think it's about time we end this. Scizor use X scissor to finish off Electivire."

"Use protect now."

Ectivire protected itself and stopped Scizor's attack.

"Char char."

"Squirtle."

"Bulba"

"Ah I see you three are enjoying the battle. That's good continue watching closely." Oak said happily.

"Now grab its arms and use fire punch." I said as elective hit scizor dead in the stomach. "Here's some advice don't rush into a victory."

Suddenly Scizor grabbed Electivire's knock with its claws.

"What? How can it still battle?" I asked.

"Here's some advice from me. You have to take a hit to deal a more powerful one. Now Scizor finish this battle with Flash Cannon."

Scizor fired Flash Cannon straight at my Electivire and I watched as my Pokemon went down for the count.

"Electivire is unable to battle Scizor is the winner which makes the winner Gary." Oak announced.

"Scizor come back buddy. You did a good job thanks for your help" Gary said callng back his Scizor.

"Electivire come back." I said as I recalled my Electivire.

"Good battle Paul you trained your Electivire well." Gary said to me.

"What difference does it make I still lost." I said as I turned to leave.

"Hey let's have a battle again sometime okay."

"Fine. Just be careful and remember the next time we meet I'll a far better trainer."

"Good that what I'm counting on."

Dawn and Barry came running up to me. "Paul I cannot believe you lost that battle." Barry told me sounding angry.

"Cut it out Barry he tried his best. It was a good battle Paul. And don't worry I'm sure you'll beat him next time." Dawn told me

"Well we'll just have to wait and see wont we." I said as began to leave but on my way out I looked back and stared at Infernape and waved goodbye to it. I overheard it yell back.

"Come on, let's get going." I said.

"Now just wait a minute." Oak said to us.

"What is it Professor." Dawn asked him

"Well I was just thinking if you're all traveling through Kanto it might be easier if you all left your Pokemon here with me. If you want I can contact your family's and have them send them all over here." Oak suggested.

"Really we can leave our guys here with you that sounds like a great Idea. Paul, Barry we should defiantly do that. Ash told me that Oak takes great care of all of the Pokémon so let's do it." Dawn said energetically

"That sounds like a great idea." Barry said

"Fine I suppose we should do that." I said agreeing "So you will call everyone we know and have them send over our Pokemon."

"But of course. If you three don't mind I have one last request for the three of you."

"We'll be happy to help whatever it is" Barry said

"Shouldn't you find out what he wants first before you accept the offer?" I said

"Don't worry you guys it's nothing much. All I want is for each of you to take these three Pokémon and train them." Oak said. As he sent out Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.

I then took out my Pokédex and scanned all three of them to check out there stats. Out of the three the Charmander seemed to be the strongest and had the most potential.

I then went up to the Charmander. "Fine I'll take you. I said to the Charmander. It looked happy about that and jumped into the Pokeball.

"No fair Paul why did you get to pick first. I'm gonna fine you." Barry said

"Aw aren't you just there cutest thing." We heard Dawn say to the Squirtle

"Looks like you're getting Bulbasaur Barry."

"That's just unfair I didn't even get to choose. You're all getting fined."

"So Dawn's taking Squirtle and Barry's taking Bulbasaur I suppose." Oak said.

"Yep definitely. I can't wait to enter contests with this little guy." Dawn said

"Fine I guess I'll take Bulbasaur." Barry said

"So which Pokemon will you be leaving here?" Oak asked us.

"I think I'll leave my Skarmory.' Barry said.

"I'll be leaving Buneary. Take good care of it" Dawn said

"Since i got a new fire type, I'll leave Magmortar with you for the time being." I said leaving behind my powerful Magmortar.

"Well best of luck to all of you." Oak said.

"By the way Paul do you know which frontier brain you're going to challenge first?" Gary said

"Whichever one's closest I suppose." I said

"Well then I suppose I'll give you this." Gary said as he handed me a map. " That there is a map of Kanto and it'll tell you where all the Frontier locations are."

I studied the map for about a second. "Looks like our best bet would be to head to Cerulean City. The Battle Factory is located there." Dawn said.

"That means Paul would battle against Noland first. He's a powerful trainer just to warn you." Gary said

"Don't worry I'll defiantly beat him." I said calmly.

"Also Cerulean City will be holding a contest soon so thats good news for Dawn." Gary explained.

"Really the contest will be held soon. Then what re we all waiting around here for lets go" Dawn said full of Exictment.

"Fine by me. I gotta battle Noland soon anyway." I said calmly. Barry and Dawn started to head out. I turned to professor Oak and Gary. "Thanks for the battle and letting us leave our Pokemon here." I said.

"Hey Paul hurry up or we'll leave without you." I over heard Dawn say.

"Please that would make my day" I said as I walked towards them.

"So Paul what did you think of going to professor Oaks lab now. It was fun wasn't it." Dawn said

I remanied quite for a minute and then spoke. "Yea I guess it was." I said as I looked back one more time remembering Infernape.

To Be Continued

* * *

_Dawn:Aw someone misses his Infernape._

_Paul: Shut up_

_Barry: Its okay Paul we all have Pokemon we miss at times._

_Dawn: And sorry about your loss. Hopefully you'll do bette next chapter._

_Paul: Will both of you shut up._

_Dawn:okay okay. As always we hope you enjoyed this chapter._

_Paul: Please leave a Review on what you thought or any complaints you have._

_Barry: And if you don't I'm-_

_Paul and Dawn: YOu can't fine any of them Barry._

_Barry: Okay. But I think it would work._

_Paul: Well it wouldn't. See you all next time. thanks for reading._

_Barry: Wow Pauls thanking people. He must be in a good mood today._

_Paul: Shut the hell up or else._

_Dawn: Why do you guys laways do this. Well I gotta stop them everyone so thanks for reading and see you next time. _


	5. Chapter 5 The Eggs Surprise

_Alright sorry if the name of the chapter gives away what will happen in it._

_Dawn: We hope you enjoy this one _

_Paul:Yea yea sure._

_Dawn: We would also like to thank everyone who has supported us and left the reviews. So please enjoy this chapter and let us know what you think._

_Barry: With that being said lets start the chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 5 The Eggs Surprise.**

After several weeks of traveling, Dawn, Barry, and I we're getting close to Cerulean city. We had all stopped for lunch because we Barry had kept complaining that he was hungry. The Charmander I got was living up to my expectations. It loved to battle and has beaten Barry's Bulbasaur all of the times we fought and it's beaten Dawns Squartle most of our battles. It also is determined to get stronger.

One day we stopped in Pewter city and Dawn wanted to see Brock but like Ash, he wasn't home.

We had stopped to eat in a flat Grassland but it wax covered by snow since it was the winter time and we were really close to The Battle Factory.

"Hey Dawn is the food almost ready yet." Barry asked. Dawn usually cooked for us. She said her mom and Brock both gave her advice on how to cook.

"Yea it's all ready" Dawn said as she brought out a meat and vegetable stew. "Call out your Pokemon so they can eat too." Dawn said

"Got it." Barry said as he sent out all of his Pokemon. Dawn and I did the same as Dawns "Alright now lets eat." Barry said as Dawn fed the Pokemon and then put the our food on the table.

Barry quickly grabbed a bowl and grabbed some of the stew to eat. "Ouch hot." Barry said as he burned himself by eating the stew. (I swear he acts like a child. But I suppose that's what you get when you rush to eat.) After Barry blew on the soup and cooled it down he then took another spoonful. "Wow Dawn this sure is great. Right Paul." Barry then turned to look at me.

"It's alright." Was all I said as I ate some of the soup. I personally saw no point to how food tasted you eat it to get energy and then move on with your life.

"Can't you just be nice and say you like it?" Dawn said looking annoyed.

I could've argued and explained why I didn't care much about how things tasted but I didn't want to get in any fights . "Fine it's really good. There happy." I suppose it wasn't a total lie considering it did taste good.

"See was that so hard. And thank you for the complement." Dawn said with a smile

"I suppose not." I said finishing my stew. "Alright Charmander are you done eating?" I asked

"Char." Charmander said finishing it's food.

"Good then we to train you and make you stronger." I said as we got up to start training.

"Hey Paul I'll battle you if you want." Barry said

"No thanks I want to train on my own." I said calmly.

"common Paul it'll be fun."

"No thanks."

"Actually Paul shouldn't you be taking care of your egg." Dawn told me.

"Why it'll hatch on it's own. So why do I need to take care of it."

"You should still look after it. It teaches you responsibility."

I looked at her she would keep bugging if I didn't help. "Fine I'll help you watch over the damn eggs."

"Good Maybe this will teach you to be kinder with Pokemon." Dawn said happily

"Whatever lets just start raising these damn things." I said annoyed.

"Have fun being parents and raising your kids you two." Barry said laughing at us.

"Shut up Barry it's not like that." Dawn and I said at the same time.

"Fine have fun watching the Eggs I'll be training." Barry said walking away

"So what are we supposed to do to raise these Damn things." I said after Barry left

"Well first you have to try to get to figuring out what Pokemon will come out of the egg." Dawn said pulling out her egg. but for some reason it wasn't green anymore. It was white like the snow. It was also a little brown.

"Why is your eggs color different."

"I know weird right. this seems to happen a few times. the color just changes. Has your's changed at all?"

I took my egg out and looked at it. It was still Brown just like when I first got it from Conway. "No change at all. Looks like there's something wrong with your egg."

"No need to worry. I'm sure we its fine. but either way let me see your egg for a minute." I headed her the egg. "Wait why is your egg still cold. Haven't you ever even taking it out of your bag."

"No I was just usually keep it in my bag."

"What are you crazy?! how will your Egg ever feel love and compassion if you don't take it out of your bag once in awhile."

"I already told you thats not my style. Love doesn't make strong Pokemon power does."

"Well last time I checked you still got beat by Ash and he showed love and compassion so i guess your method doesn't work. Even Reggie knew that."

"How long are you gonna keep bringing that up. Don't forget he only beat me once and lost to me 3 other times. One of our battle got interrupted and another was a draw. so shut up."

"I'm just saying it wouldn't hurt to be a little nicer. I know you're capable of it too. You've been treating your Charmander with respect lately. Either way let me help you I'm sure I can make that egg hatch into something good but you have to calm down first."

"Fine so what do I have to do?"

"Well first you should try to warm the egg up."

"Fine. CHarmander us Flamethrower on the egg."

But before Charmander could attack, Dawn stepped in and stopped it. " Not like that you have to watch over it by holding it close to you like this." Dawn said as she started hugging the egg.

"There is no way in hell I'm going to do it." I said. I don't understand why you would have to hug a god damn egg.

"Fine don't show it love. Just you wait when it hatches it'll have stuborn personality just like you."

"As long as it trains hard that's all I care about."

"I know you could try talking to it. I talk to my egg all the time."

"That sounds like something Ash or Brock would do."

"I bet they would do that but trust me it helps. You'll form a bond with your egg and when it Hatches it'll love you."

"You do realize who your talking to right? I already told you I don't care about Bonds."

"God your such a pain. Why cant you just do as I say?"

"Look this is just a waste of my time. I'm leaving." I said as I walked away. I heard Dawn calling after me telling me to wait but I ignored her and kept walking.

* * *

I eventually came to a frozen lake were I decided to train.

"Okay Charmander lets start training" I told my Charmander as we practiced our attacks for awhile . After Awhile i suddenly heared a shaking sound.

"What the hell is that" I said as I turned around and saw my egg shaking. "Charmander we're taking a brake okay." I told Charmander as I walked over to my egg.

I stared at it for a moment wondering what I should do. "God dammit. I can't believe I'm gonna do this." I said as i bent down and picked up the egg and held it for a minute. I continued to stared at it. "So what Pokemon will you be." I sighed. I couldn't believe I was talking to a damn egg. "So why did you shake just know. are you trying to tell me something or are you just close to hatching." I then did a face palm. "So when are you gonna hatch. And more importantly what Pokemon will you be. " I asked my egg.

"Well having fun taking my advice I see." I heard a voice say and I turned to see Dawn.

"What the hell are you doing here. I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"I came to check on you because you were gone for awhile and I was starting to get worried about you. But I'm glad to see your being such a good parent and watching over the egg. I guess you really can be nice when no one is around."

"Shut the hell up. Ideot." I said feeling myself blush out of embarrassment (Great now she's gonna make fun of me for that.)

"Aw how cute your blushing just like a little kid. I gotta say I never thought You'd ever do that. I always had a hard time picturing you blushing. But no need to worry I promise I won't tell Barry or anyone else." Dawn said while laughing I turned away.

"Why did you really come looking for me?"

"Well to be honest I did really want to check on you. Another reason though was because my egg started to shake and I wanted to see if your had started shaking too."

"It did start to shake. Thats why I started to hold it."

"Really thats great. When eggs shake that means they are incredibly close to hatching. Oh I can't wait soon we will know what Pokemon are inside our eggs. Isn't this exciting."

"I suppose." I said quietly. And she said I looked like a kid earlier. I just didn't see the excitement in this.

"Hey I have a great idea. Wanna here it."

"I suppose even if I didn't you would tell me anyway. So go ahead and tell me." I said

"Well listen once our eggs hatch why don't we have a battle to see were both of our Pokemon stand."

"What would be the point of that they will both be weak at the beginning so why should we bother having a battle."

"Because it will be fun."

"I don't know about that but I suppose I should get to know the limits of it so good idea i guess." I said complimenting her.

"Great so what should we do to pass the time."

"I'm going to train some more. By the way how did you even find this place?"

"Oh that was easy. I knew you were here for awhile. I could see your Charmanders Flamthrower in the sky. I just decided to leave you alone because you were in one of your moods." She said smiling.

"God your annoying. But thanks i suppose for leaving me to train." i said quietly.

"Hehe no problem what are friends for."

"Yea I guess your right. Thanks anyway." I said. Dawn suddenly looked happy. "what are you smiling about.

"Well this was just the first time you ever admitted that we're friends. It just seems a little weird hearing you say something like that. And it's even weirder not hearing you argue with us when we call you our friends. I guess your starting to actually consider Barry and me your friends."

"Look your both still annoying as hell. and also a pain in my ass." I went quiet for a minute.

"But." Dawn said

"But I suppose It's not so bad traveling with you guys and having friends."

"See I knew were a nice guy. Still looks like Reggie was right."

"I really hate it when he's right but this time I guess he was."

Dawn laughed a bit and then starred at the lake a bit. "This lake looks like the perfect place to train for contest."

" So then train here. the frozen water really helps your Pokemon get used to the environment and it also helps them adjust speed better."

"Really well thanks for the advice. You wanna Practice Piplup?"

"Piplup." the penguin Pokemon said

"Also I'm gonna train my Squartle too. Come on out." Dawn said as she sent out her turtle Pokemon

"Okay you train for you contest a bit meanwhile I'll be training as well for the battle Factory."

Dawn and I both trained for a while longer using the ice on the frozen lake to our advantage to help us improve. Dawn had been practicing a few new contest moves and I noticed she taught her Squartle water pulse. We would normally tell our Pokemon to go on the Ice while we gave them orders because neither of us didn't have any skates.

"Man training on the Ice sure takes me back." Dawn said suddenly.

I stared at her for a minute. "What do you mean by that?" I asked

"Well when I was a little girl my mom would take me up to Snowpoint city and take me Ice skating. We would go up their around Christmas time and have a blast. I always had so much fun going Ice skating, Having fun, and drinking Hot Chocolate with my mom. It was the best. Did you and Reggie ever do anything like that together?"

"Not really. I never enjoyed going out? I always preferred to stay inside during the winter time."

"Oh thats to bad. Have you ever gone ice skating at all before."

"There was never any point. You go on Ice and if you're not good at it you would fall down so i never tried it."

"Well trust me it's fun even when you fall all over your face it still is funny. It's to bad I don't have any Ice skate we could see you try ice skating." I just stared at her and rolled my eyes. "

Suddenly we both heard our eggs shaking really fast.

"Wow look our eggs are about to hatch Paul."

"Good finally I can see what is inside this damn thing."

"I'm so excited!" Dawn said looking really close at her egg.

I walked up to my egg and looked at it suddenly both of our eggs hatched and I saw my Pokemon crawl out of it's egg.

"Vee." I heard my Pokemon say. It was an Eevee. an Eevee was the Pokemon inside of my egg.

The Eevee looked at me and smiled it ran up and hoped on my shoulder. "What are you doing?" Asked as the Eevee rubbed it's head against mine. I stared at it for a minute a turned to see what Pokemon was inside Dawn's egg.

"Wow look at you your so cute." I heard Dawn say to her Pokemon. It was a small deer Pokemon that I never saw before.

"What Pokemon is that?" I asked Dawn.

"I have no idea. Only one way to find out." Dawn told me as she took out her Pokedex.

"Deerling, the Season Pokémon. When sensing confrontation, Deerling hides in the grass. It also changes its appearance as the seasons change." the Pokedex said

"So it's called Deerling." Dawn said as she looked through her Pokedex some more. "It says here that Deerling's are found in the Unova region. isn't that where Ash is?" Dawn said.

"Yea that's right."

"So how did I get it from an Egg that was on a ship that was in Sinnoh?"

"I think the boat travels to all the Regions. Not just Kanto and Sinnoh. So I'm guessing it got the egg from Unova."

"Do you think Conway knew this when he gave us the eggs."

"Knowing him I bet he did."

Dawn then turned to look at me and almost instantly started laughing.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" I asked her.

"Nothing your I see you got an Eevee in your egg. And let me say it looks like it really likes you from the way its on your shoulder and it's snuggling with you." Dawn said

"Be quiet. your Deerling is being nice to you." I said noticed Dawn's Deerling rubbing against her legs.

"Yea but I took good care of my egg so it's normal that it would love me. Besides it's a lot funnier when someone who acts as tough as you has something so cute on his shoulder."

"God damn it. Look lets just have a battle right now okay."

"Okay fine." We went toward an area without any Ice and only had snow. "Deerling listen I need you to help me and battle Paul's Eevee."

"Deer" The Deerling Replied

"Eevee stand by for battle." i said as my Eevee hoped down from my shoulder and onto the field.

"Lets star this. Eevee use tackle attack." I said as Eevee ran into Deerling and sent it backwards a few feet.

"Deerling recover and use Quick attack." Dawn said as her Deerling ran with great speed and hit my Eevee.

"Eevee use sand attack. to reduce it's sight." I said as Eevee kicked sand into Dawn's Deerlings eyes.

"Deerling use Quick attack once more." Dawn said as her Deerling ran toward my Eevee but missed it because it could badly see straight.

I quickly took out my Pokedex to see the rest of my Eevee's moves. "Thats a weird move. Either way time to test it out. Eevee use Return." I said expecting it to be a fairly weak attack since I just hatched the egg and Eevee was a newly born Pokemon. What I wasn't expecting was what happened Eevee used Return and ran into the Deerling with great force knocking Deerling out.

"Aw man Deerling are you okay. You tried your best good job." Dawn said putting her Deerling into A Pokeball. "Good battle Paul you and Eevee sure are strong. I can't believe it already trust you so much."

"Yea it's weird all right. I don't get why Eevee likes me so much. Eevee return." I said taking out a Pokeball and putting Eevee into it.

"Well today sure was interesting right."

"I suppose so."

"Wait a second aren't we forgetting something."

"Beats me."

Dawn started thinking for a minute. "Oh no. Paul we completllyfor got about were Barry was."

"Damnit. Well we better go find him." I said calmly.

We went searching for Barry and we found him resting in the snow.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked the ideot.

"Paul, Dawn. Thats the question I should be asking the two of you. Were the hell did you guys go for all this time. I think this calls for a fine.

"We're really sorry Barry. Paul and I were training together and our eggs even hatched."

"Well i should- wait what? Your eggs hatched. Why the hell didn't you call me so I could watch them hatch."

"Because you would've been to noisy." I said half joking.

"I should fine both of you big time."

"Look Barry were really sorry for forgetting to call you when the eggs started to hatch." Dawn said

"I"m not." I said to Barry.

"Aw you two are just messing with me now. So what what Pokemon were inside the eggs anyway?"

"I'll show you come on out Deerling." Dawn said as she sent out her deer Pokemon.

"Wow I've never seen a Pokemon like that before."

"I know cool right. This little guy changes depending on what it's environment is. That's why when I first got the egg it was green. Since it was kept in a spring like location, It turned green but when we took it outside and Winter hit us, the egg turned white and brown."

"Wow thats really cool. Who did you get Paul?"

I took out buy Eevee's Pokeball and through it. "Eevee stand by." I said as Eevee came out.

"Wow you got an Eevee that's so totally cool." Barry said.

Suddenly Eevee ran up to me and hoped on my shoulder. "Vee"

"Why the hell do you always do that?" I asked my Eevee but it just smiled at me.

"Huh why does Paul's Eevee seem to like him so much?"

"Good question Barry. I've been wondering that too. It seems like Pauls Eevee really seems to like him.. MAaybe it thinks Paul is it's mother."

"Oh yea good Idea Dawn."

They both laughed for a minute. "Will both of you shut up and stop being annoying!." I yelled at Dawn and Barry.

"Okay fine. But we couldn't help ourselves Paul it was just so funny." Dawn said.

"I'm going for a walk." I said

"Hey wait a minute I forgot to tell you guys something I found out." Barry told us

"What is it hurry up and tell us." I said

"Well I was raining by myself for awhile and after I was done I looked at the map and it turns out we're even closer to the Cerulean city and the Battle Factory. We should be there in another day or so." Barry said.

"Really thats great news. So come on lets get going already." Dawn said.

"Fine I'm in a hurry to challenge the Battle Factory and defeat Noland."

"And I'm in a hurry to get my first Ribbon." Dawn said with full excitement.

"Well then what are we waiting for lets go." Barry said.

"Good I'm ready." I said as we began to head to the Cerulean City.

To Be Continued

* * *

_In case each of you guys are wondering why I gave Dawn a Deerling, It's because I feel that Deerlings and Sawsbucks seem to be a little underrated. Either way I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry if it seemed a little slow compred to the past chapters._

_Dawn: I think Pauls Eevee seemed cute._

_Paul: Shut up._

_Dawn: Okay fine I'll stop._

_Barry: We hope you all enjoyed the chapter and next time Paul will face Noland._

_Dawn:Please leave a review to let all of us know what you thought. Thanks for reading and see you next time._


	6. Chapter 6 First Frontier Battle

_Well everyone here the big chapter Paul will finally face Noland in a battle but can he win or will he face a defeat. I actually had a lot of fun writing this one. Well I have fun writing all my chapters but this one seemed to be more fun for me then normally. So I really hope you guys like it and Let me know what you all think of Paul's battle with Noland. Thanks for all of your support and let's start this chapter. (By the way Dawn Paul and Barry were all busy so they couldn't give the introduction today sorry.)_

* * *

Chapter 6 First Frontier Battle

We were waiting in the Cerulean city Pokémon center. We had arrived here earlier today and I wanted to head to Battle Factory which was near here but Dawn wanted to find out where the contest was. It ended up working out better because I had the chance to think of a team and decide what Pokémon Noland uses. So I was currently on the computer looking up information.

"Have you found anything out yet Paul?" Barry asked me.

"It says here that Noland allows his opponents to choose which of his Pokémon they want to face. That's defiantly would give me a huge advantage." I told Barry.

"So have you decided on which Pokémon you'll be using against him?"

"Of course. I already have a plan on how to defeat him. As well as which guys I'm going to use."

"Alright I knew you would have a plan. Man I can't wait to see you battle him."

"And I can battle him as soon as Dawn gets here."

After a few minutes we saw Dawn walking up.

"So did you find out when your contest is?"

"You bet it turns out I still have a week before this one gets held. So I still have time to train for it. Anyway are we gonna head to the Battle Factory now?" Dawn told us.

"Not yet there's something I want to do first." I said as I walked over to one of the video phones and called professor Oak.

"Hello there. Why if it isn't Paul. So why are you calling me right now."

"First did all of my Pokémon end up here okay?" I asked Oak.

"As a matter of fact they did."

"Good now I need you to exchange some of my Pokémon for me."

"No Problem what Pokémon do you want to exchange."

I told him my choices and made all of my changes.

"By the way how are your Pokémon I gave you doing I hope they're helping out."

"Yea the Charmander you gave me has proven to show great potential."

"I'm glad and how are Dawn's Squartle and Barry's Bulbasaur doing?"

Dawn then stepped up to the phone. "Hey Professor Squartle's doing great me and him are working together wonderfully."

Barry then stepped up as well. "And Bulbasaur's pretty awesome thanks a bunch professor."

"Well I'm glad everything is going so well."

"Oh and did Paul tell you about the eggs we got." Dawn said.

"Why no I didn't even know you two got eggs. Did they hatch yet and if they did what was inside of them?"

"Well my egg had a Pokémon that was from the Unova region. It's called Deerling." Dawn said as she sent out her Deerling.

"Well isn't that a great discovery. Good job Dawn and what Pokémon did you get Paul." Oak said asking me

Almost instantly my Pokéball opened automatically and my Eevee came out and hoped on my shoulder. "Vee."

"How the hell did you know we were talking about you?" I asked as my Eevee rubbed up against me. (Damn I wish it wouldn't always do that.)

"Well is that an Eevee. And it seems to really like you Paul. Well isn't that just fantastic." Oak said happily.

"Yea I've been told." I said sarcastically.

"Well best of luck in your battle against Noland. Be careful though he's really strong. Ash just badly beat him and he was even using his Charizard."

"I'll be fine. I already have a plan to win the battle involving the guys you sent over."

"Is that so well then good for you Paul. I wish you the best of luck." Oak said as he hung up. Dawn and I then put Eevee and Deerling back into the Pokéball.

"So Paul which Pokémon will you use in this battle?" Barry asked me.

"Don't worry you'll find out later." I said as I started heading to The Battle Factory.

"Hey wait up common please tell me." Barry said running after me with Dawn close behind.

"Hey Barry no need to worry I'm sure Paul has thought this through." Dawn said and that seemed to shut Barry up. So we continued our journey to the Battle Factory.

* * *

The journey took a lot shorter than I expected it to take. We were able to get there in just an hour by foot.

"Wow look at it. It's so huge." Dawn said admiring the Battle Tower.

"It's defiantly impressive but then again it is the home of a frontier brain so it is to be expected." I told Dawn

"So were exactly is the frontier brain and how exactly do we find him?" Barry asked.

I walked around the tower until I found fond the front door (Or at least I think it's the front door. It's kind of hard to tell with this place being as big as it is.)

"Is that the front entrance?" Barry asked me.

"Only one way to find out." I said as I knocked on the front door.

After about a minute the door got answers by a young looking boy. "Hello there what are the three of you doing here?" The boy asked us.

"I'm here to have a battle with Noland are you him." I told the boy.

"Ah so we have another challenger here to face Noland. I'm not him you see but I can take you to him if you'd like."

"Sounds good thanks." I said to the boy.

"Good follow me. My name is Sergio by the way. Noland is in his lab working on an invention, he does that a lot. He damn near blow this place up three times in the past month."

"I hope your kidding." Dawn said as we started to follow Sergio through the battle Factory. One thing I notice was the many machines here. I was shocked by how many machines this guy built. I also noticed many burnt marks that I guessed were from fires. So I don't think this guys lying.

"I wish I was kidding. Noland's a great guy but when it comes to inventions he kind of messes up quite a bit. But he's still a great boss and I have utmost respect for him." Sergio then turned to me. "So do you know how the Battle Factory works?" Sergio asked me.

"I looked up online and it said I get to choose my opponents. Is that true?"

"Yup. Here at the Battle factory we allow the challenger to choose his opponents. Anyway here we are." Sergio said as he opened a huge door.

Before we could even step inside we heard an explosion comeing from a machine. "Dear god it seems Nolands messed up again." Sergio stated.

"Is he okay?" Dawn asked sounding concerned

"Don't worry about him. I'm sure he's fine. You alright in there Noland?" We heard Sergio call out.

"Yea I'm fine. What are you doing in here anyway Sergio?" HE heard Noland call back

"We have a challenger ready to face you."

"Really a challenger. That's great news. Let's meet him." I heard him say.

"Got it. Come on lets go inside." Sergio said as he let us into the room. You could clearly tell this was where Noland built machines because of all the tools that were on the floor and there were all sorts of machine parts.

When we entered we came face to face with a man in a white lab coat and a red hat who I figured was Noland. "So you must be Noland." I said

"Yup that's me and you are?"

"My names Paul and I'm here to challenge you."

"I see well good." He then studied me for a minute. "Have we met before? You look familiar."

"You most likely met my older brother his name was Reggie."

"Ah yes Reggie he was a powerful opponent of course I'm a lot stronger now than I was back then. So you're his brother huh. Well I hope you're as good as him. Now follow me." Noland said as he took us back outside to an area that had many Pokémon. "Pick whichever one you want to battle and how many Pokémon you want to use." He told me as I studied all of the Pokémon.

He had many different types to choose from. I saw a Venusaur, a Machamp, a Rhyhorn, a Breloom, a Rhydon, a Lairon, A Camerupt, a Pinsir, a Golduck, a Manetric, a Sandslash, and a Trapinch. I studied each of these Pokemon carefully. I could easily challenge the weak Pokémon like the Trpinch, Lairon, or the Rhyhorn but if I did that then I wouldn't be able to test my Pokémon's levels and make them stronger. If I wanted to truly beat the Battle Frontier then I had to challenge myself.

"Before I choose I have a question I want to ask. Do you remember ever Pokémon your opponents have ever chosen?" I asked him

"If you're asking about your brother then I'm sorry but I don't remember who I used against him. Sorry."

"That's fine. Then do you remember facing a trainer named Ash."

"Oh boy do you mean Ash Ketchum the guy who ended up beating the whole Battle Frontier?"

"Yea that's right. Do you remembering who he chooses to face."

Noland smiled at that. "Of course I remember that guy he faced quite the Pokémon. He went up against an Articuno using his Charizard and believe it or not he actually won."

"No way Ash beat an Articuno!" Dawn yelled really surprised.

"Well then in that case I want to face your Articuno too."

"Paul are you crazy that's a legendary Pokémon your talking about." Barry told me.

"Shut up Barry if Ash did it then so can I."

"But Paul don't forget Ash's Charizard was one of his best Pokémon." Dawn told me

"Now hold on a second. I know you may want to face my Articuno but he's not here right now." Noland told me

"What do you mean you don't have your Articuno? It's your Pokémon isn't it?" I said getting annoyed.

"Well you see Articuno isn't really my Pokémon. Its wild you see and it visits once in a while. He just happened to be visiting me when Ash came."

"Fine so who are your three best Pokémon besides Articuno."

"So you want a challenge. You know I like trainers like you. My three best Pokémon besides Articuno would have to be. My Manetric, My Sandslash, and my Machamp."

"Good then I'll battle all of them three on three."

"Well then that sounds good three on three then. Let's go into the tower to battle." We followed Him into an area that had a battle field were the ceiling opened.

"You know I thought one of his most powerful Pokémon would be Venasaur or his Camurupt." Dawn said

"Just because a Pokémon looks big and strong doesn't mean that it's really powerful." I told her.

"Hey are you ready to battle or what?" Noland called out to me.

"Don't worry I'm ready."

"Good. Sergio could you be the referee."

"No problem Noland." Sergio then went to step on a platform. "You two might want to come up here too so you have a good spot to see the Battle." he said to Dawn and Barry who then walked up to the platform to watch our battle. "This will be a three on three Pokémon battle between Paul from Veilstone city and Battle Factory brain Noland. Will you both send out your Pokémon."

"Right Manetric come one out." Noland said as he sent out Manetric.

"Gliscor stand by for battle." I said as I sent out my Gliscor for the first time in a while.

"Wow I didn't know Paul had an Gliscor." Barry said

"Yea he caught it around the same time Ash got his Gligar. In fact it was the leader of the group that Ash's Gligar was a part of."

"Wow that's really cool. I didn't know about that."

"Yea I know. The last time I saw it was when Paul and Ash had a three on three battle and Paul sent out his Gliscor against Ash's Gligar."

"Before we begin there's something I want to do." I then took out a Pokéball. "Eevee stand by." I said as I sent out my Eevee. "Listen Eevee I want you to watch this battle carefully because one day you're going to have to battle." I told my Eevee as it hoped on my shoulder to watch the battle.

"So are you ready to begin our battle."

"You know I am."

"Good the first move is yours."

"A ground type like Gliscor should have a huge type advantage against Manetric." Dawn said

"Yup looks like Paul is gonna have an easy win." Barry said

"Gliscor use sky Uppercut to start this out."

"Manetric use Double team to dodge."

"Manetric made clones of itself and my Gliscor missed because it hit one of the fake ones.

"Damn it. Hit them all." I said but my Gliscor kept missing

"When it gets close to the real you use Fire fang."

Just like Noland said the moment My Gliscor got close to the real one, it countered with a powerful Fire Fang.

"Damn it. Gliscor use Stone edge." I said as my Gliscor nailed Manetric with Stone Edge. "Now finish this with Guillotine to end this." I said as Gliscor went to deliver the finishing blow while Manetric was down.

"Sorry but that's not gonna wok. Manetric use Roar." Noland said as his Manetric let out a powerful roar that sent my Gliscor back to its Pokéball. Suddenly another of my Pokéball opened and it sent out my Weavile.

"Damn it Fine then I guess I'll just have work with Weavile. Use Night slash."

My Weavile hot Manetric dead center with Night slash.

"Manetric use Discharge." Nolan said as his Manetric hit my Weavile with a powerful Discharge Attack.

"Weavile hit it once again with Ice punch."

"Manetric Catch the Ice Punch with Fire Fang"

Manetric caught my Weavile's attack with its Fangs and burned my Weavile.

"Oh no that attack was super effective." Barry said

"Don't give up or lose focus Paul you can do this." Dawn cheered

"Weavile use your other hand to hit Manetric with Ice Punch and make it let go of you." I said

Weavile hit Manetric dead on in the face making Manetric let go of it.

"Now use Discharge to while your close to Weavile." Noland said as he hit my Weavile with great Electricity. "Now use Fire Fang to finish this up."

Manetric bit hard on Weavile delivering a super effective move to my Weavile.

"Weavile." Weavile said as it fainted.

"Weavile is unable to battle which means Manetric is the winner." Sergio announced.

I clenched my firsts. _He really does deserve to be called a Frontier brain. He has great strategies to defeat me. But I'm not done yet._ I thought. "Charmander stand by for battle." I said as my Charmander came out and looked ready to fight.

"Char." My Charmander said

"Don't lose Charmander. Use Flamethrower."

"Double team Manetric."

Manetric then made many clones of itself to dodge the Flamethrower.

"Now use Fire Fang on the one in the back." I said as my Charmander turned around to hit one of the Manetric's. It hit it dead center and the one it went after turned out to be the real one.

"But, how." Noland said

"No way how did you know which one was the real one Paul." Barry said amazed.

"Don't worry about that Barry." I said

"You got a lucky guess didn't you?" Dawn told me.

"Shut up." I told her.

"Excuse me are we gonna continue this battle or not?" Noland said

"Of course. You know you could have attacked me."

"That wouldn't have been nearly fair or fun. Now Manetric use Discharge on Charmander."

"Let it hit you then counter with Flamethrower." I said

"Manetric got Charmander trapped in electricity but then my Charmander hit Manetric dead on with Flamethrower dealing massive damage.

"Man..e..tric." Manetric said as it fainted.

"Manetric is unable to battle the winner is Charmander."

"Well good job there Paul. Didn't expect you to beat Manetric so quickly. Now for my second Pokémon. Go Sandslash." Noland said as his Sandslash appeared.

"Charmander lets end this quickly with Flamethrower." I said as Charmander hit Sandslash with great fire power.

"Sandslash get back up and use dig." Noland said as Sandslash dug into the ground.

"That's not gonna work Charmander use Flamethrower into the hole." I said as Charmander fired a powerful flamethrower that hurt Sandslash so bad that it came flying out of the hole it dug.

"Wow I bet Paul learned that from watching Ash battle all the time." Dawn said

"What do you mean by that Dawn?" Barry asked her

"Well think of it this way Paul is known for thing something good and using it in his battles right? Well one time when Paul and Ash battled, Paul told his Chimchar to use did but Ash Counted that by using Razor leaf into the whole Paul dug."

"Aw I see now. Hey look Paul's about to make another move." Barry said noticing that I was about to attack.

"Now use Fire fang on it." I said as Charmander bit down on Sandslash.

"Sandslash use Magnitude. On the ground."

Sandslash unleashed the magnitude but judging from its power I figure it must have been a weak one so Charmander didn't take any damage.

"Now use earthquake Sandslash." Noland said as Sandslash shook the earth and dealt massive damage to Charmander. "But we're not done yet. Sandslash use slash on Charmander."

"That's just what I want you to do."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll show you Charmander let Sandslash get close to you and catch it's attach with Fire Fang." I said

As it was ordered Charmander caught the Sandslash's attack in its mouth.

"Good move Paul but you seem to have made one mistake. This is the same exact position we were in earlier with you Weavile and my Manetric. The only difference is our roles have reversed but that only means that my Sandslash still has one free hand. Now use slash."

"Don't you think I realized all this and luckily I had prepared just the counter for it? Charmander fire Flamethrower at point Blank." I said

Charmander hit Sandslash dead on sending it flying backwards just as I planned. Surly that had to be enough to finish of that Sandslash.

"Sandslash get up." Noland said as his Sandslash rose to its feet.

_Damnit how much health does that damn Sandslash have_. I thought to myself as i knew that I would have to find way to beat it.

"Use dig once more Sandslash."

Sandslash dug underground once more.

"Why would you do that I'm just gonna do what I did before. Charmander use Flamethrower into the hole." I said

"Come up behind Charmander and use slash."

Sandslash suddenly appeared behind Charmander and went to finish it off before we had a chance to fire our attack.

"Charmander catch the attack." I said at the last minute. I knew it was a long shot, but I had to take a chance. Any other way would've meant Charmander falling and I couldn't let that happen.

Luckily Charmander caught Sandslash with one of its hands. But then suddenly Charmander's took his second had and the claws on his hand grew and turned blue.

"That's Dragon claw" I said as Charmander hit Sandslash with it's claw. And I knew then that Sandslash had been defeated.

"Sandslash is unable to battle Charmander is the winner." I heard Sergio announce.

"All right, good job Paul now you only need one more win to get that Frontier symbol." I heard Barry yell.

"But don't forget Barry, both of Paul's guys have taken damage while Noland's third Pokémon hasn't even battled yet." Dawn said.

She was right of course even though I was winning this battle with Pokémon, Noland still had his Machamp and I'm willing to bet he saved the best for last.

"Paul I have to say you defiantly are a skilled trainer. Sadly though I have to win this battle right here and now. Go Machamp" Noland said as he sent out his 4 armed fighting type Pokémon.

"Don't even give it a chance to attack. Use Flamethrower." I said

"Run right into the attack and when you get up to Charmander use Karate Chop." Noland said

Machamp ran right through Charmander Flamethrower like it was nothing and when it was right in front of Charmander, one of its four hands and chopped down straight into my Charmander's neck. The Charmander went flying backwards and slammed into the wall. Charmander then laid there with its face in the ground.

"Charmander is unable to battle Machamp is the winner."

I was shocked by how much power Noland's Machamp had so much power. I was now down to my last Pokémon. "Gliscor stand by for battle." I said as I sent out my Gliscor.

"This is bad Gliscor has already taken some dame from when Manetric hit Gliscor with Fire Fang." Dawn said

"Gliscor use Sky Uppercut."

Gliscor flew up and punched Machamp across its face.

"Good now use Poison Jab."

"Catch it Machamp and use vital throw."

Machamp caught Gliscor with one of its hands and then Machamp proceeded to throw Gliscor and slam it on the ground. Gliscor then got on its feat.

"We have to finish this right here and now. Gliscor use Poison jab in one hand and Sky Uppercut in the other hand."

Gliscor flew up to Machamp to hit it.

"You fell right into my trap. Machamp grab Gliscor's head with one of your hands."

Machamp then grabbed my Gliscor's head so Gliscor couldn't move.

"Well Paul it's been fun but it's time to end this. Machamp use Ice punch with all three of your free hands."

Machamp's hands all turned to Ice and then Machamp just continuously punched Gliscor until Gliscor fell to the ground.

Gliscor just laid on the ground while Machamp stood directly above it.

"Well looks like I Wi-"

"Know get up and use Guillotine" I said interrupting Noland

Gliscor suddenly got up and hit Machamp in the neck. Gliscor then flew Machamp directly into a wall. Machamp then fell from the wall and fainted.

"Machamp is unable to battle which means the winner is Gliscor. The winner of this battle is Paul from Veilstone city." Sergio announced.

"I knew I had no chance of overpowering your Machamp so I waited for you to let your guard down. Guillotine normally has a very low chance to hit but when it does hit it always defeats the enemy. So all I had to do was wait until I knew there was no way I could miss with my attack." I said

"I see well that defiantly was a good plan. It sure did beat me. Good job Paul you've earned this." Noland said as he took out a frontier symbol and handed it to me.

"Whew thank god. I was afraid Paul would blow it and lose this one but he somehow came from behind and won the battle. I'm glad." Dawn said

"Yea I know what you mean Paul sure knows how to fight a good battle though." Barry said

"Gotta agree to that." Dawn said. She then started yelling to me. "Hey Paul good job. Next time don't worry us so much."

"Shut up."

Noland just laughed at us. "Well before you leave I have a gift for you." Noland said as he handed me a case. "That's a case you can use to keep all of your Frontier symbols you earn over time."

"Thanks." I said as I took the case from him.

"Well take care by." Noland told us as we left the Battle Factory.

* * *

On our way back I put my first Frontier symbol into my case.

"You see that Eevee that's how you battle." I said to my Eevee who was walking with us because it didn't want to go inside it's Pokéball.

"Vee." Eevee said happily.

"I'm shocked by how well Charmander did today." Dawn told me

"I wanted to test him out to see his current power. I'm glad he lived up to my expectations." I said

"Looks to me like he surpassed your expectations when he learned Dragon claw." Dawn said

"I suppose so." I said.

"So where are we heading now?" Barry asked me.

"Are you stupid or something? We need to go back to Cerulean City because Dawn still has to enter her contest." I told Barry

"Oh yea I forgot. So are we gonna watch her and cheer her on?" Barry asked me.

"Of course we are why would you ask such common knowledge?'

"Hey are you two really gonna cheer me on." Dawn asked sounding happy

"Obviously or I wouldn't have said it. Besides you and Barry stayed and rooted for me so it's only natural that I stay and return the favor." I said

"Really wow thanks Paul. Thanks Barry." Dawn then quietly said to Barry but I still heard her "Hey Barry don't you think Paul has become a whole lot nicer."

"Defiantly his attitude has improved also." Barry said half laughing

"You two know I can hear you right." I said annoyed

"Oh calm down Paul we were only saying good things about you." Dawn said. "Well I can't wait anymore I'm gonna start running to Cerulean city so I can prepare for my contest." Dawn said once more as she started to run to the city.

"Hey wait up." I heard Barry say as ran after Dawn.

"Those two have way too much energy. But as for me I think I'll just walk there and meet them at the Pokémon center." I said calmly.

"Vee." Eevee said agreeing with me (I think).

Eevee and I headed toward the city walking slowly and I was just being glad I won my first Frontier Symbol.

To Be Continued

* * *

_Paul: Well today's battle went well._

_Barry: I think you owe a lot to Gliscor and Charmander._

_Paul: They did good because I Trained them well_

_Dawn: And the luck that you had didn't hurt either right._

_Paul: Shut up I won that match because I had a better strategy. Luck had nothing to do with it._

_Dawn: Right Remember that the next time your Pokémon learns a new move at the right time._

_Paul: Shut up already._

_Dawn: Anyway this chapter Paul got his time to shine and next chapter it'll be my turn to enter my contest. And don't you guys worry I'm gonna win it._

_Paul: That kind of overconfidence will make you beat yourself._

_Dawn: No need to worry I'll be fine and besides I'll have you and Barry cheering me on._

_Barry: That's right don't worry. _

_Dawn: Any way we really hope you enjoyed this chapter because we had a lot of fun writing this one especially. We would really appreciate it if you let us know what you thought of this one and let us know any thoughts or Ideas you may have. Anyway thank all of you guys so much for reading and reviewing so far and please continue. See you guys next time. _


	7. Chapter 7 Dawn's first Kanto Contest

_Dawn: Hey everyone how it going? Today is the day i compete in my first Kanto contest and I'm so excited._

_Paul: Whatever just don't screw up._

_Barry: Hey come on Paul have some faith in Dawn._

_Dawn: Yea don't worry I'll be sure win just be sure to cheer for me._

_Paul: Fine_

_Barry: Hey should we tell everyone the big news for this chapter._

_Paul: You might as well._

_Dawn: Right since today is my big contest then we all decided that the story should be told in my point of view. So let me know how I do for my first time telling the story through my eyes. I'm kind of a bit nervous._

_Paul: Trust me it's easy._

_Dawn: Well either way it's time to start today's chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 7 Dawn's first Kanto Contest**

(Dawn's POV)

"Squartle use water pulse." I yelled

"Bulbasaur use Razor leaf to stop the attack." Barry said as our attacks collided.

"Okay I think that's enough training" Barry told me

"Agreed this past week you've been training nonstop. That's good and all but you might overdue it." Paul told me.

"That sounds really weird coming from you. I mean aren't you the same person who worked his Chimchar to death and then kicked it out of your team just because it didn't meet your expectations" I told Paul

"Your never gonna let me forget that are you." He said sounding annoyed at me.

"Nope." I said smiling. It was so much fun pissing him off like that.

It had been 6 days since Paul won his battle with Noland and we spent them training hard for the big Contest in Cerulean city. Paul and Barry have been helping me train. They were a great help and thanks to them I feel like I improved greatly. But I still thought I wasn't good enough. But then again ash and Brock would tell me that I still always thought I could still improve. Back early on in the beginning of my journey I didn't train as hard and that coast me big time. I ended up losing many contests.

It was a good I arrived here early because it turned out that I need to upgrade my contest pass to be a Kanto pass. I also had to learn the rules for the Kanto contests. In Kanto we were allowed to switch Pokémon between rounds and we got to use either single or double performance depending on what the rules were for the specific contest. For the Cerulean one we had to do a double performance and boy was I working hard.

"Look Dawn its best if we just head back to the Pokémon center to rest up for the next day so you can rest up." Paul told me. "You did register already right."

"Of course. I did that back when we were here a week ago remember?"

"Oh yea. I remember know. Guess I wasn't paying that much attention." Paul told mw

"Well if it isn't Dee-Dee" We heard a voice say.

"Oh god, don't tell me." I turned around to see Ursula standing behind me. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Don't tell me you're entering this contest as well."

"Of course I am. But that's not the point what the hell are you doing in Kanto."

"I came here to for the same reason you did. To win the Kanto Grand Festival but more importantly I'm gonna defeat you." Ursula told me with confidents.

"Whatever. I'm gonna be the one beating you. Just remember that." I said

"Oh yea Dee Dee" Ursula said while laughing

"Huh what are you laughing at?" I asked but I suddenly felt two things enter my hair. "Oh do don't tell me." I said as I got shocked by Plusle and Minun. After they shocked me, they made my hair become a mess and it was shining. "Oh no, my hair."

Barry then started laughing hilariously while Paul just did a facpalm.

"Well well looks like even your new friends are embarrassed by you. Can't blame them though. Looks like even Ash and Brock got embarrassed being seen with you so they left and left you with these two." Ursula said in very annoying manner.

Barry suddenly stopped laughing. "Hey stop that. What's your problem? Why do you keep making fun of Dawn? If you don't stop I'm gonna have t fine you." Barry told Ursula. But then Paul stepped up

"From the way you talk to Dawn. I suppose you must have beaten her every time you faced right. The only time a trainer has the right to talk down on a trainer is after they defeated them in battle." Paul said calmly.

"Shut up you little brat. The only Reason Dee Dee ever beat me was because she just had some luck all those times. But it would be pointless trying to explain things to people like you. After all anyone who's Dawns friend is automatically a loser." Ursula said

"Talk is cheap." Paul said confidently

"Fine then all I have to do is defeat Dawn in tomorrow's contest and that should prove my superiority."

"Well you should be scared because Dawn has been training non-stop and she's going to kick your ass." Barry said confidentially.

"That's right there's no way I'd lose to you. No need to worry I'm gonna win." I said

"Please the only person with no need to worry is me but I'll let you keep daydreaming. just remember by tomorrow that ribbon will be mine." Ursula said as she walked away.

"Grr I hate her so much." I said

"I don't see the big deal all you have to do is beat her right." Paul said.

"Yea I suppose. By the way Paul and Barry thanks a million for sticking up for me. It was really sweet and kindhearted of you two so thanks."

"It's no problem Dawn what are friends for." Barry told me with a huge grin.

"Yea I know but still I appreciate it." I turned and I saw Paul walking away. "Hey were the hell are you going."

"It's late and I'm tired so I'm off to bed. And you should be going to bed too. After all how will you win anything tomorrow if you're badly awake?"

"Fine your right Paul. I'll stop training and get some sleep." I said as I headed to the Pokémon center with Paul and Barry. We then all asked for a room to sleep in and spent the night there.

* * *

"Hey Dawn wake up!" I heard Barry say to me as he shook me and woke me up. I had fallen asleep late that night because I was so exicted.

"Oh Barry what is it?" I asked him still half asleep.

"Hurry up and eat breakfast the contest starts in just an hour." Barry told me as I almost instantly jumped out of Bed and quickly got up.

"Why didn't you two wake me up earlier?"

"We tried but you kept on sleeping in. Even you Piplup tried splashing you with bubble beam." Paul said.

I quickly noticed that I was drenched from head to toe. "Come on this is the worst thing that could happen to me before a contest." I said freaking out like crazy. How could this happen to me.

I quickly started to get changed but I quickly got stopped. "Don't do that when were right here. Go change someplace else!' Paul said actually yelling (which he almost never does never does.)

I quickly turned bright red and I noticed Barry was laughing hilariously. "Why'd you stop her Paul?" Barry said joking (Or at least I hope he was).

"You're an ideot." Paul said quietly to Barry.

I quickly ran into the bathroom that was inside our room. I started to get changed and I then checked in the mirror. My face was as red as a tomato. "Oh god I'm embarrassed. I can't believe I almost changed right in front of those two boys. Oh go how embarrassing plus I overslept and on top of all that I'm soaking wet. How will I ever get ready in time?" I asked myself.

"Hey are you almost done in there?" I heard Paul asking me from outside the room.

"Of course not. I have barley even begun to get dressed." I told Paul quickly.

"Are you kidding me at this rate we'll never make it in time. Look we might as well just skip the-"

"No this is really important to me I have to show up and beat Ursula." I said "Look I'll never make it in time unless I change into my dress right away. Paul can you find my dress and hand it to my."

"Fine Paul said as he went looking for my dress. After about a minute he handed me my pink dress.

"Thank you." I said but Paul remained silent. After about 15 minutes or so I finally came out of the Bathroom all dressed in my Pink dress and with my hair in the style I usually have it in during contests. "So how do I look?" I asked Paul and Barry.

"Wow you look great Dawn." Barry said.

Paul then looked at me. "Your face is still red." he told me.

"Shut up!" I yelled at him "Anyway let's get going."

"Shouldn't you eat first?" Paul said pointing to a plate of eggs.

"Fine." I moved first as I ran and started scarfing down the food. "Common lets go." I quickly said as I ran out the door ahead of Paul and Barry.

* * *

I had eventually arrived at the contest hall and headed to the back room to prepare for the contest.

"Well look who finally decided to show up. I thought you got scared Dee Dee." I heard Ursula say to me.

"Well don't worry I'm here now."

"Is everyone here?" We heard a girl say. "Okay every one my name is Lillian Meridian and I'm gonna be the master of ceremonies. That pretty much means that I'll be the speaker who announceres everything. Now if all of you don't mind I'm going to need all of you to come out so I can introduce all of you." Lillian told us as we all started following her out and onto the stage.

I looked around and I was shocked at how similar the contest stage in Kanto looked compared to the Sinnoh one. In fact they were almost identical. I then started looking for Barry and Paul and I saw them sitting towards the higher left side of the seats. Barry looked very impressed with how cool the contest stage looked while Paul looks uninterested (No surprise there).

"Okay everyone here are our 32 coordinators but only one will win the Cerulean city Ribbon. Who will it be? First allow me to introduce our spectacular judges. First we have our own nurse. Nurse Joy.

"Hello there."

"Then we have Mr. Contesta."

"Hello there, it's great to be here."

"And finally we have Mr. Sukizo."

"Hello let's hope this contest is Remarkable."

"And now let me show you when each Coordinator will come up to perform."

I looked at the screen and saw that I was the 25th person to perform so after Lillian finished explaining the rules of the contest I headed inside and waited for them to call me up.

* * *

After about an hour I heard them call me up to the stage.

I quickly ran up to the stage and choose my two Pokémon.

"Piplup, Cyndaquil take the stage." I said as My Piplup and Cyndaquil appeared.

When Piplup came out he did a flip and then he landed on my Cyndaquil's back.

"All right good job Now Piplup use Bubble beam."

"Piplup shot out hundreds of small Bubbles that surrounded the stage in a perfect order.

"Now Cyndaquil use swift to pop all of the bubbles."

Cyndaquil popped all of the bubbles with the small stars and after they were all popped it started raining splashes of water.

"We're not done Cyndaquil use Ember in the sky."

Cyndaquil fired its Ember attack into the air so that there was both fire and water in the sky.

After I was done with my performance I recalled my Pokémon and went back inside to wait for the rest of the people to perform.

* * *

After everyone had gone we all looked up and stared at the screen to see everyone who made it to the top eight.

"And here are the coordinators who have advanced to the top eight." I heard Lillian say.

I stared at the screen watching who had advanced into the next round.

I quickly saw Ursula's name appear on the screen. Almost everyone had been appeared there were only three people left. The third panel flipped and I saw my name!

"Yes! I made it to the next round!" I said full of excitement.

"Calm down Dee Dee after all in the end I'm going to be the overall winner so why don't you just jive up." Ursula said

"Oh yea well I'll make sure to beat you no matter what. Just wait and see."

"Please a little girl like you won't stand a chance compared to me. Just make sure you don't lose until we face each other. I want the personal honor of embarrassing you."

"The same goes for you Ursula." I told her.

* * *

After a half hour the matchups were finally up. Ursula and I were in completely separate divisions. That meant that the only way we would face each other was if we both made it to the finals.

"All right there's no way I'll lose." I said confidentially.

To be honest I was shocked by how easy it became to advance into the finals. I defeated both of my opponents easily and quickly advanced to the finals.

Each time I won a battle I could easily here Barry's cheering and each time I looked up I noticed Paul looked embarrassed as hell to be sitting next to Barry. (It actually made laugh quite a bit.)

Ursula won each of her battles as easily as I won my battles. So before I knew it we had both made it into the finals.

* * *

"Alright everyone welcome to the final round of the Cerulean city Pokémon contest. This battle will be fought between Dawn and Ursula. Who will win it and gain the wonderful Cerulean city Ribbon. Will both coordinators send out their two Pokémon?" Lillian said as we both entered the stage for the finals to begin.

"Squartle, Cyndaquil take spotlight." I said

My Squartle and Cyndaquil came out looking ready to win this.

"Oh please what will those two little weaklings do? Plusle and Minun come on out and show Dee Dee how to really battle." Ursula said

She then sent out her twin mouse Pokémon (I really hate those two.)

"All right will both trainers begin?" Lillian said as the clock started ticking from the five minute mark.

"Let's win this quickly. Minun use Helping hand."

Minun then prepared to use its attack that made Plusle raise its attack. This also coast me some points.

"Cyndaquil use Ember. Squartle you use Water gun."

Squartle shot out its water gun and hit Minun while Plusle got hit by Cyndaquil's Ember. Ursula then stated to lose major points.

"Damn it. Plusle Minun use a double spark combination."

Plusle and Minun both hit Cyndaquil causing him to take damage. They shocked with powerful electricity.

"Now both of you use Electro ball" Ursula said

"Use Ember to counter it." I said

Plusle and Minun shot out the electric balls from their tails. But my Cyndaquil was able to stop both of the attacks by using its Ember attack.

"Now Squartle use Water Pulse on Minun."

Squartle shot out its water pulse and it connected to Minun.

"MI nun." I heard Minun say as it became confused.

"Oh no." Ursula yelled as she started to lose points by the second because Minun wasn't listening to her.

"Now Squartle use rapid spin to send Plusle flying."

Squartle went into its shell and spun right into Plusle sending it into the wall."

"Cyndaquil use Smokescreen to stop Plusle and minun's vision."

Cyndaquil fired some smoke and made it impossible for anyone to see.

"Minun listen carefully. You need to focus and snap out of being confused. Calm down and wait until you see something move in that smoke. The second you see someone move fire an Electro ball at them. I don't care who it is." Ursula said getting really angry right now.

For a little while nothing happened but after a few seconds Minun calmed down and cured its confusion. It then started looking around trying to see any movement inside the smokescreen.

Finally it saw something move and almost instantly fired its Electro ball at it not caring who it was Squartle or Cyndaquil.

The problem was it wasn't Squartle that got hit and it wasn't Cyndaquil either… It was Plusle. Minun had accidentally attacked its own partner. It hit Plusle dead center with its Electro Ball attack.

Plusle then got really mad that its own partner had attack it. So mad in fact that it shot a Spark attack right back at Minun.

Then things got ugly. Both Plusle and Minun were so mad at each other all they were doing was beating up the other instead of focusing on Cyndaquil and Squartle.

From the stands I heard constant boos and angry cheers toward Ursula. Everyone sure didn't like how much she had messed this up and I couldn't really blame them.

Out of nowhere I heard a bell ring that meant the contest had ended.

"That's it this contest is over." Lillian said.

"What the hell are you talking about? That couldn't have been five minutes already" Ursula complained.

I then looked up at the score board. One thing Ursula was right about was what she said about the clock. Time defiantly hadn't ended but it was Ursula's points that had run out.

"Since you ran out of points that meant you got disqualified and thos also means Dawn is the winner." Lillian said happily.

"What you got to be kidding me. Why do I always lose to her?" I heard Ursula say really pissed off. "Plusle, Minun both of you return." Ursula then called back Plusle and Minun (Who were still fighting. It was actually kind of funny.)

Ursula then stormed of the field acting very angry.

Lillian then walked over to me and handed me a Ribbon. "Congratulations on winning this. I understand this is your first Ribbon here in the Kanto region is that right?"

"Yes that's true. Thank you very much." I said as I took the ribbon happily.

"Well that wraps up todays Contest. I hope to see all of you again at a different contest in a different town." Lillian announced.

"Wow it looks so cool." I said admiring the Ribbon that I had just won.

* * *

After I won Paul, Barry and I all went out to restaurant to celebrate.

"Congratulations on your win today Dawn." Barry told me.

"You did well but don't get overconfident." Paul warned me.

"No need to worry I know that Paul… By the way thanks for cheering for me both of you."

"I didn't cheer for you." Paul said coldly (God can't he take a compliment)

"Fine thank you Barry for cheering for me and thank you Paul for stain and watching the contest. Also thank both of you for helping me train."

"You don't have to thank us." Barry said as he took a bite of a burger he ordered. "Besides what are friends for." He said with his mouth full of burger (Uh disgusting. Why can't he finish chewing first?)

"I suppose your right." I said quietly.

Barry swallowed his burger. "One thing I have to admit is this. You sure did win that pretty easily."

"Yea I guess your right Barry. But still that doesn't mean everyone will be this easy." I then turned to Paul. "Still though I did win that way easier than you won your first frontier symbol." I said half laughing.

"Shut the hell up." Paul told me.

"Has anyone ever told you that you sound like a broken record?" I said happily

"And has anyone told you that you're annoying."

"Oh come on stop being so mean. You know you love traveling with Barry and me."

Paul just hurried up and finished eating and got up. "I'm going back to the Pokémon center." He said

After a few minutes I had finished my meal and got up too. "Well Barry I'm heading to the Pokémon center too. See you later."

"See you later Dawn." Barry said as I got up and started leaving.

By the time I was halfway out the door i suddenly heard Barry start to scream. "Hey wait a minute are your guys making me pay for the whole Bill this calls for a fine." He said as I ran off laughing hysterically.

"I have to tell Paul this." I said as I left Barry to pay for all of our meals (I know it's not nice to do but common do you know how funny it is.)

On my way back I pulled out my ribbon and admired it knowing that this would be the first of many.

"All right I'm determining now. This time I'm defiantly gonna win the grand festival and no one can stop me!" I said full of excitement

To beContinued.

* * *

_Dawn: Well that was my first chapter narrating instead of Paul._

_Barry: When will I get a chance to be the Narrator?_

_Paul: If we're lucky never._

_Dawn: Stop being so mean Paul._

_Barry: Yea cut it out._

_Dawn: Well I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review to let us know what you thought of my contest, or to let me know how I did Narrating compared to Paul._

_Barry: Also leave a review if you want me to narrate a chapter._

_Paul: If you are ever the Narrator then I think you would give the readers a head ache. Anyway thanks for reading and we'll see you next time._


	8. Chapter 8 Barry's decision

_Before I begin this chapter I just want to wish everyone happy holidays and I hope you all have had a greta time._

_This Chapter will be told at one point in Paul's POV and then it will change to Barry's POV but don't worry I'll let you know when the POV changes._

_Also i this chapter I'll be introducing a character that a few people have asked me to include in my story._

_And for one last thing in this story I'm gonna make it be around Christmas time so this chapter is kinda a CHristmas special but it still is very important to the plot of the story. Thank you for ready the story so far and I hope you all enjoy this chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 8 Merry Christmas and Barry's Decision**

Paul's POV

"Both of you get up. Were leaving this city today." I told Dawn and Barry as they started to get up.

It had been two days since Dawn had won her contest and I wanted to get out of this city so we could start heading to the battle Arena.

Dawn and Barry got up and they started getting ready.

"Hey Paul, Barry and I have been talking and we've decided something." Dawn told me.

"What is it?"

"Well Barry and I decided that we want to stay here fir another few days."

"Are you kidding me why on earth should we wait here any longer than we already have?"

"Well for starters do you have any idea what today is."

"Monday." I said (What a pointless question.)

Dawn rolled her eyes at me. "Not that. I mean what is the date."

I thought about it for a minute. "Today is December 24th." I said "So whats your point?"

"Are you stupid or something Paul? Today is Christmas Eve. and that means that tomorrow is Christmas." Dawn told me as she acted annoyed.

"And why should I care about that."

"Don't you celebrate Christmas?" Dawn asked me

"I do but I never really do anything on Christmas day. Usually Reggie buys me some present and I get him something. We usually eat some turkey but thats all. Besides I see no point in it anyway."

"The point is this is a special time of the year to celebrate being with our friends and family."

"And you get lots of presents" Barry said

"Geese both of you are acting like little children. Who gives a damn. This is just a pointless holiday."

"Well theres nothing wrong with getting excited about the holiday season. Cant you pleas get existed about anything."

"Look theres no point to this lets just go and forget about Christmas."

"No way we're staying and celebrating the holidays. and I don't care what you say we are staying. Waiting another day or two won't ruin your chances of winning the battle frontier."

"Fine. Do as you please but don't expect me to be a part of it."

"No way your celebrating it with us no matter what."

"Why do you want me to participate in such a stupid day."

"Simple you need to learn how to have a little fun. So your celebrating christmas with us. That means you have to pick out a present for both me and Barry. And we will get you something too so don't worry you'll get a gift too"

"Look this isn't really my thing so I'll just leave the two of to celebrate it but count me out."

"I'm telling you please just celebrate"

"Why do you want me to join you two so bad."

"Because we're friends and I think you need to cheer up your attitude. You got to have some fun and celebrate Christmas."

"You know your a reel pain. But if it'll make you shut up I'll agree to participate in this stupid idea of yours." I said finally giving in to shut Dawn up.

"All right lets get going." Barry said

"Going were exactly?" I asked

"Duh we're going to go exploring the town and looking to see how the town looks around. We may also go shopping." Dawn said.

"Fine lets just go." I said as we all headed out.

* * *

We had looked around town and saw how different it looked during Christmas time. I noticed how everywhere was covered with decorations and I also saw how everyone looked really happy and in a good mood.

"Hey Paul what is it you'd like for Christmas?" Barry asked me while we were inside a store.

"I really don't care just get anything." I said

"Paul stop acting like that and show some enthusiasm. Also shouldn't you ask Barry what he wants for Christmas?" Dawn told me.

"Look I'll just bye something and give it to him."

"You really don't get the true meaning of Christmas do you."

"Nope why should I. Either way lets continue looking around here." I said as I walked away to continue loo look around.

"Hey you three wait up for a second." We heard a girl say.

The three of us all turned around to see who called us.

"Hello sorry to ask you three to stop like this but are you all from Sinnoh." The girl said.

"Thats right who are you?" I asked the girl

"Sorry to bother you. My names Misty Waterflower. I'm this towns gym leader." She then looked at me. "Sorry for asking but didn't you compete in the Sinnoh league." She asked me.

"Thats right. Why do you ask were you watching it?" I asked

"Well I'm good friends with one of the people who entered it. His name is Ash. Didn't you battle him in the top Eight."

"Yea thats right and he won but one day I intend to beat him."

"Oh I see sorry you lost."

"Don't be I've just been training harder so it doesn't matter."

"Well that sounds like something Ash would do." Misty said (I hated it when people compared me to Ash.) "Sorry for asking but how well did you three know Ash."

"Well Paul and I were his two rivals." Barry said

"Yea thats true. Me and him would battle a lot." I said

"And I actually traveled with Ash and Brock too. So your Misty Ash talked about you quite a bit." Dawn said.

"Really so you and Ash knew each other really well then thats great. So how was Ash in Sinnoh."

"Well it's actually a long story."

"Well then allow me to treat the three of you out to some lunch and in return could you three tell me how Ash has been." She said

"Thanks for the offer. Lets do it. Do you two agree?" Dawn asked me and Barry.

"that sounds fun." Barry said

"Whatever I don't mind either way." I said as we all headed to a restaurant.

* * *

"So it sounds as though Ash hasn't changed at all. He's still as hyper and childish as ever. Still I'm glad to hear he's doing alright. Pity that he had to fight a trainer who used legendary Pokemon." Misty said after we finished eating.

We had told Misty everything about Our Sinnoh adventures with Ash. We also told her what we were all doing here in Kanto.

"I still think it's awesome that you three came here just to challenge the battle frontier and to take on contests. Well that sure is impressive."

"Paul and I have been working hard to complete our goals." Dawn said

"Well thats great. Thanks for telling me how Ash is doing. He never stopped by to visit after the Sinnoh league so I didn't even get a chance to see how he's been doing. I was a little annoyed at him but now I'm glad to have heard that he's doing alright and that he actually still talks about me." Misty said as she got up to leave.

"Hey wait a minute." I heard Barry say.

"Yes what is it."

"Listen if it's not to much trouble..."

"Yes what is it."

"I'd like to challenge you to a Pokémon battle. You are a Gym leader right?"

"I'd love to but you do know that the Indigo league is going to start in just two months. There isn't enough time for you to compete in the Indigo league." Misty explained

"I know that but still I've been thinking lately. both Paul and Dawn have a reason to be here but lately I've had no point of coming here. So I decided that I'd attempt to challenge all of Kanto's gyms even if I can't compete in the Indigo league." Barry explained

"Barry are you sure you want to do this?" Dawn asked him

"Don't try to stop him Dawn." I said

"Huh why Paul?"

"Because he's right. What would be his reason for coming here. He needs to find a reason and this way he has something to do." I said

"Thanks for supporting me Paul. So what do you say Misty."

"Well it is Christmas time so why not. Lets do it. Hope you don't mind if we have a two on two battle."

"Thats fine can we have our battle right now?" Barry asked eagerly.

"Sure no problem. lets head to the inside of my gym." Misty told us as we all got up and headed to the gym.

* * *

(POV change to Barry)

We had arrived at the inside of the gym I thought it would be an all water battle field but to my surprise it was all ice.

"I thought you were a water type gym leader." I said to Misty.

"I am and usually my field is all water but during the winter time my field gets frozen into Ice. Anyway lets begin we will each use two Pokemon each got it."

"You bet. Lets get this started." I said with excitement.

"Hey Barry I need to go get something okay so Paul will be cheering for you okay. Good luck, I know you can win." Dawn said. I noticed Paul gave Dawn a dirty look.

"No way why are you leaving. Thats messed up I'm seriously gonna fine yo." I said (I can't believe she's ditching me. Some friend.)

"What the hell are you doing." Paul asked Dawn.

"It's a secret. Good luck BArry. Make sure you cheer him on Paul." Dawn told us.

"Lets begin. Go Politoad." Misty say as she sent out a cool looking frog like Pokémon.

"All right I can't wait to battle that Pokémon. Lets go Bulbasaur." I said as I sent out my Grass the buddy. "You ready to do this Bulbasaur."

"Bulba."

"Allright lets start this battle, Politoad use double slap."

The Politoad moved super fast on the ice and started to try to hit my Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur don't let it hit you. use Vine Whip to throw it away." I said

My Bulbasaur used its Vines to grab Politoad and throw him against the wall.

"Politoad get up and use Water gun."

Politoad got up and fired water straight at Bulbasaur.

"Use your Vine Whip to jump over the Water and then counter with Razor Leaf."

Bulbasaur used it's Vines to hit the ground to get in the air and then it fired Razor leaf and hit Politoad in the stomach.

On Bubasaurs way down to the ground it slipped and fell on the Ice.

"Oh no my Balbasurs has slipped and now it fell." I said getting worried.

"Now Politoad use Ice beam."

Politoad fired it's ice beam and hit my Bulbasaur while it was still on the ground.

"Now lets end this Politoad use double slap to finish off Bulbasaur." Misty said

"Bulbasaur counter it with Razor Leaf straight at it's chest."

Bulbasaur then used it's Razor leaf to deal massive damage to the Politoad as it fell on the ground and became unable to battle.

"Alright thats one down one to go." I said getting ready to kick some butt and win this badge.

"Good job Politoad you deserve a good long rest. Allright now I choose Gyarados." Misty said as she sent out her giant water dragon Pokemon.

"Whoa that sure is one big Pokemon." I said admiring the awesome Pokémon.

"Thank you for the complement but we rant gonna hold back. Gyarados use Dragon Rage."

"BUlbasaur use Razor Leaf."

Bulbasaur fired it's leafs at Gyarados but the Dragon Rage just knocked say all of the leafs and hit my Bulbasaur.

"Bulb." My Bulbasaur said as it fainted.

"Oh no Bulbasaur. Return buddy you did great." I couldn't believee how powerful that Gyarados was but there was no way I would lose to her.

"Alright lets get ready. Go-"

"Hey everyone I'm back." I heard Dawn say as she came in interrupting me."

"So were did you go?" I heard Paul ask Dawn.

Dawn then leaned over and whispered something in Paul's ear so that I couldn't here.

"Oh so thats were you went to." I heard Paul say

"You should do that too. trust me it'll be fun." Dawn said

"I'm not sure."

"Common it'll be fun and don't worry I'll stay here and cheer for you'll finally get to spend some time on your own."

"In that case. Later." I heard Paul say as he started to head out the door. (Where the hell is he going. That jerk.)

"Paul. What are you doing?Get back here or else I'm gonna fine you." I yelled as Paul walked out the door.

"Don't worry Barry. Paul just has something he has to do, okay. So just make sure you win this battle." Dawn said rooting for me.

"Hey when are you going to send out your next Pokémon or what." Misty said eagerly.

"Okay okay jeeze. Cant a guy get distracted for a second? But anyway it's time to use my 2nd Pokemon, go Roserade." I said as I sent out my rose Pokémon.

"So your going to use another Grass type Pokémon well then it's a good thing that I taught my Gyarados this move. Use Flamethrower."

Gyarados shot out it's Flamethrower.

"Roserade do something."

Roserade jumped over the fire.

"Good now use Poison jab."

Roserade punched Gyarados in the face and poisoned it.

"Allright.'

"Gyarados use Flamethower some more. Mist said

"Dodge it."

Roserade jumped over the Flamehtrower but the Gyarados kept shooting out fire. But the fire wasn't hitting anywhere near my Roserade

"What on earth are you planing?"

"Barry look at the field." I heard Dawn say.

Sudenly I noticed that the entire field had melted and the ice field had turned into a water field. All my Roserade had left was one tiny plate of Ice to stand on.

"Oh no!" I said

"Gyarados use Hydro pump."

Gyarados shot out a super huge beam of water that hit my Rosarade and knocked Rosarade into the water.

"Now Gyarados dive into the water after Rosarade." Misty said

Gyarados jumped into the water after Rosarade.

_Damn this isn't good. How am I supposed to win when Gyarados's move so fast in the water and My Rosarade only has one little spot of Ice and it barley can move. To make things Even worse my Rosarade is currently under water. And it's not like Rosarades a great swimmer. _I thought to myself trying to find a way to win.

Gyrados then knocked my Roserade out of the water and back on to the small ice block. _Damn it I really wish we had more room to fight. I'm gonna fine someone._ I thought to myself.

"Hey listen." I heard Misty call over to me.

"Huh what is it. I'm trying to come up with a plan." I said annoyed that she was distracting me.

"Look I was just gonna offer to put our battle on hold. You see normally this gym has some platforms for non water Pokémon but since its winter we took the platforms out because of the ice. If you want I'd be glad to call someone to put the platforms back in. Wanna do that?" Misty offers me. I then realized what a great chance this was.

"Is it really okay to do that?" I asked her getting exicted that there might still be a chance for me to win this battle.

"Yea no problem. It's the Holiday season after all. So do you want to do that?"

"Yea sure defin-" I then stopped as I realized something. Paul, Dawn, and Ash all wouldn't quite just because things started looking a bit bad. I had to stop taking the easy way out.

I remember back when I visited the Sunyshore gym in Sinnoh I was allowed to just take a badge and I had no problem takeng it. I remember finding out that Paul thought of that as cowardly and Ash even went after the leader Volkener and made him battle Ash. Both Paul and Ash refused to take the Badges that Volkner was just giving away. But me, I literally took the easy path and took a free gym badge without even trying to battle any one. No more. I'm sick and tired of being behind Paul and Ash I need to start being more like both of them and this was the perfect time to start.

"Actually I think I'm fine with continuing our battle." I said

"Are you sure. I really have no problem switching the field up so you have more of an advantage. Besides I'd feel bad if I end up winning this battle because you were at such a disadvantage." She told me.

"I know this but I know Ash and Paul would never agree to that. They would keep battling so if I ever want to catch up to them then I have to do the Same." I said

Misty then smiled "I see well thats pod then. In that case lets continue our battle it's your move." Misty told me.

"All right lets try this Rosarade charge up for Solabeam Solar Beam," I said

Rosarade started to charge up for it's attack.

"Gyrados use Hyper beam."

Gyarados fired a Hyper beam and at the last second Rosarade counters it with a Solarbeam. The two attacks cancelled each other out

I then noticed how Gyarados had to recharge after it used that attack. _Thats it, thats how I'll win_. I said as I realized something.

"Rosarade fire Magical Leaf since Gyarados can't move." I said as Rosarade hit Gyarados with it's leafs.

"Good job Rosarade now charge up for Solarbeam once again." I said as Rosarade started to charge up.

"Use Hyper beam once more Gyarados." Misty commanded.

"Good thats just what I wanted you to do. Now Rosarade jump out of the way of the Hyper beam and go onto Gyarados's back." I said

Rosarade jumped out of the way but Gyarados's Hyper beam had destroyed the last part of the Ice we were using as land. That didn't matter though because Rosarade was now on Gyarados's back and it was hanging on there tight.

"Now Rosarade fire your Solarbeam." I said as Rosarade fired the attack at point blank. Rosarade almost fell off of Gyarados's back but it was quickly able to catch itself. "Make sure you don't fall off of Gyarados's back Rosarade." I warned my Rosarade.

"Gyarados try to shake Rosarade off of your back. Otherwise you won't be able to attack." Misty said

"Don't get knocked off Rosarade. Now whole your on Gyarados's back fire Magical leaf continuously at Gyarados but make sure you don't fall of." I said

Gyarados tried to shake off Rosarade, but Rosarade was holding on tight and wouldn't let go. Rosarade was also hitting Gyarados with a barrage of Magical Leaf attacks witch were weakening the Gyarados by the second. Finally, after about 5 minutes, Gyarados was really tired and really angry so it was finally able to throw Rosarade into the air.

"Ah oh no Rosarade." I yelled getting worried.

"Good job Gyarados. Now lets fire Hyper Beam once more at Rosarade in mid air since it can't dodge." Misty said with confidence.

"Since we can't dodge we'll just dive right into it. Rosarade use Poison Jab into the Hyper Beam." I commanded

Rosarade took its first and dived straight into Gyarados's Hyper beam. I could tell Rosarade was taking damage by the second but it had to hold on. Rosarade dived right into the Hyper beam with its Poison jab, and kept on moving forward until it was able to hit Gyarados dead center in the face.

Both of them fell straight into the water. I stood there for a minute waiting to see who the winner would be. Suddenly I saw my Rosarade surface from the water. It was breathing heavily and really wounded but it was still able to go on. I waited to see if Gyarados would come up.

"Hey Misty is your Gyarados okay it's been down there a long time." I asked starting to get worried for Misty's Pokemon.

"Don't worry he's fine. Even when he's unconscious, Gyarados can still breath fine under water. Don't forget he is a fish." Misty said smiling

"Oh really so he's okay. BUt then how will we know if Gyarados can still battle." I asked

"Well there's only one way." Misty said as she suddenly dove head first into the water.

"Is she out of her mind?" I heard Dawn say freaked out.

"Why do you say that?" I asked

"Barry its the middle of winter and she just dove into a swimming pool that was covered in Ice a little bit earlier."

"Oh god your right. Is she okay in there?" I asked getting worried too.

After a half a minute Misty came back up looking fine.

"Hey are you okay?" Dawn asked misty as she came up.

"Of course I am why wonldn't I be?" Misty told Dawn.

"Well you just dove into water that was frozen.. Shouldn't you be freezing cold."

"Oh that don't worry I was fine. Don't forget Gyarados used Flamethrower on the Ice to melt it. That also heated up the water so I had no problem swimming in it." Misty said with a smile.

"Wow thats so cool." I said

"Anyway I went underwater to check and see how Gyarados was doing. And he's fainted so I guess you win." Misty said smiling.

"Hey why do you look so happy? You lost." Dawn said

"Who cares that I lost. It has been awhile since I got be beaten by someone. Besides I had fun." she said to me.

Suddenly I heard a slow clapping coming from near the entrance. I turned and I saw Paul standing near the entrance.

"Hey Paul when did you get back here?" I asked him

"Awhile ago but you were so into the battle I figured that I wouldn't distract you."

"Thanks a million. So did you see me win. Pretty cool right." I said to Paul

"Looks like you took a big gamble and became reckless at the end." He told me

"Hey cut that out." I told him

"Fine. You did good I suppose. Still the way you won reminded me of something Ash would do."

"Yea I guess you have a point."

"Excuse me but don't you need to take this badge." Misty told me holding up the badge.

"Oh yea right I almost forgot." I said as I took the badge.

"Well today was another busy day so lets head to the Pokémon center so we can sleep their and celebrate christmas in the morning." Dawn said

"If we must." Paul told us.

"Common don't lie today was fun right. And wasn't it great that Barry finally has something to do." Dawn said to Paul

"I suppose your right." Paul said

"Wow did you guys hear that Paul admitted that I was right."

"Shut up. You just don't know when to shut up." He said coldly.

"Wait what the hell do you mean by that. I was so nice to invite you to go Christmas shopping with us and I even picked you out a present. So can't you be a little nicer!" Dawn yelled at Paul.

"Hey guys calm down it's christmas time so you two shouldn't be fighting." I said trying to stop them

"Shut up Barry!" They both yelled at me together. (jerks)

"Do they fight like that a lot?" Misty asked me

"Yea sometimes I'm fighting with Paul instead of Dawn but we do fight quite a bit of the time." I said a little bit embarrassed.

"Dont worry about it. Believe me I know what it's like. Ash and I would argue all the the time. I've learned that just because people fight, it doesn't always mean they hate each other. So don't worry the of you will become best friends one day." Misty said to me

"I guess so. Thanks." I told her.

"No problem. BY the way did I hear you three say you were going to be spending Christmas at the Pokémon Center?" Misty asked me

"Yea we are." I told her.

Misty then stepped up "Hey you two." She called out to Paul and Dawn as they stopped fighting to hear what she had to say. "If you want you three could spend Christmas at my place. My sisters are out of town and it would be boring to spend Christmas all alone. So what do you guys say.

I personally thought this was a great offer. Actual beds would be more comfortable in a house then in the Pokémon center. "I'm in ." I said getting excited.

"I guess it sounds fun so I'm in too." Dawn said

"Whatever. I'm fine either way." Paul said

"Then it's decided. Lets all head upstairs to wear I live." Misty said as we all headed upstair."

The upstairs looked all Christmased out. It was super cool.

"Well it is Christmas eve after all so lets celebrate." Misty said

The rest of the night was super cool and fun. We all played games, talked about how times have been for all of us. We had listened to Christmas music and then put some gifts underneath a tree that Misty got for the Holidays.

After we had all the fun, Misty then brought out some delicious food for us to made it herself with the help of Dawn and it was really delicious. We were all having a really fun time. Even Paul was having fun. Although I know he would never admit it.

To be honest this night was super cool. It was even more fun that we all got to spend it with each other.

After we finished having fun we went to bed for the night and waited for the next day.

* * *

The next day I quickly got up and ran to see the tree with all the presents underneath it. "Wow it looks so cool." I said as I ran to wake up Dawn and Paul. "Hey Paul you gotta get up and see this." I said as I tried to wake him up.

"What the hell do you want Barry." Paul said still half asleep.

"You gotta come see the tree. It looks suer cool." I said

"Barry its 7 in the morning."

"So?" I asked

"SO your acting like your 5 years old and go back to sleep."

"Common Paul lots of people get this excited on Christmas morning. Just get up."

"Oh hey Barry whats with all the noise?" I heard Dawn say as she started waking up.

"Paul's being a pain in the butt and not getting up. If he doesn't hurry up I'm gonna-."

"Okay fine I'm getting up so shut up." Paul said as he got out of bed.

"Great lets go see." I said as we all headed to the room with the gifts.

"Wow it looks so cool." Dawn said

"I know right theres something about Christmas morning that puts me in a great mood. What do you think Paul?"

"It's all right, I suppose." Paul said but he sounded as though he wasn't impressed.

"Hey by the way, when did you guys pick up these gifts. I didn't see you two buy anything when we were out shopping yesterday." I asked

"We did it during your battle with Misty. Thats why at one point I left and at the other Paul left." Dawn said

"Wow even you went out and got us something. That sure was nice of you Paul." I said to him

"I only did it because I didn't want to hear you wine that you didn't get anything." Paul told me. (He never wants to admit that he does nice things. Oh well)

"Either way thank you. I feel bad though I didn't get you guess anything. I guess I should be fined huh." I said laughing.

"I think i'll pass on fining you." Paul said

"You sure." I said joking around.

"Yes I'm fine. Look I really don't care what I get." Paul said. (Only he wouldn't be excited on Christmas.)

"Well I see you all are awake and well." we heard Misty say

"Sorrry did we wake you?" Dawn asked Misty.

"No don't worry I woke up on my own. So are you all about to open your gifts you got each other?"

"Yea we were." I said.

"Good then lets all begin." Misty said. as we started to open our gifts.

Dawn got me a case for my badges. "Wow this sire is cool thanks Dawn." I said

"No problem Barry." She said happily.

I then opened up the gift Paul got me. "Wow this is so cool." I said as I looked at what he got me. It was a Dvd set that held the entire Indigo league from a few years ago.

"Sadly they didn't have the one I competed in but I was able to find the one Ash was in." Paul told me.

"Wow thats so cool. I cut wait to see how good Ash was back then." I said

"Okay but a word of warning. He loses in a kind of embarrassing way." Misty said

"Huh I don't get it how can someone loss inn an embarrassing way. I mean he only beat two of Tobias's guys in the Sinnoh league but it still was a cool battle and one he did well in." I said

"Barry does have a point." Paul admitted.

"Just trust me it's embarrassing." Misty told us.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see." I said

"Okay it's my turn to open my gift." Dawn said as she opened her gift from Paul.

It was a dvd on the Kanto grand festival. "Wow this is so cool. Question though Paul. Is this the grand festival that Ash's friend May entered." Dawn asked Paul.

"I don't even know who the hell May is." Paul told us

"Well sorry for asking a question." Dawn said. "Okay Paul now you have to open up the gift I got you." Dawn told Paul.

"Fine." Paul said as he opened up the package. Inside was a book on thee battle frontier and it had good info on them.

"I figured you would need to use that if you wanted some advice on the battle frontier." Dawn told Paul happily.

"Thanks I suppose. It'll be helpful in some ways I guess." Paul said.

"Hey act a little nicer Paul. Dawn just got you a great gift." I said.

"Fine. Thank you Dawn." Paul said acting as though he was forced to say that.

"any way I got you three something." Misty told us as she handed all a weird necklace. "Those items are called Mystic Water. They increase the power of a Water types Pokémon's Water type moves." Misty explained to us

"Wow this is so cool." I said

"Thank you so much Misty." Dawn said

"This will be helpful. Thanks" Paul said.

"So you see Paul Christmas isn't that bad. It's actually really fun." I said

"Fine I'll admit it's kinda fun. I still don't get why people make such a big deal about it. Nut I guess it is a pretty good day." Paul said

"All right I knew we could get you to admit it." I said happily while Paul looked at me annoyed.

The rest of the day was really awesome. We all explored town and saw some Christmas show that were being shown today. Overall today was just plain cool. We ate tons of different foods today and enjoyed ourselves.

The next day we all got ready to leave the city and we were saying our goodbyes to Misty.

"Thank you so much for letting us spend Christmas at your place." Dawn told Misty.

"No problem. Thank you two for spending time with me. I would've had to spend Christmas all alone if you guys hadn't showed up. So thank you three."

"Hey I have an Idea. Misty do you have a Pokénav." Dawn asked.

"Yes I do." Misty said.

"Great my mom gave me one before I left on this journey so do you want to exchange numbers." Dawn asked Misty.

"Sure why not this way if we ever want to talk or if I'm ever in another town that your in then we can meet up." Misty said happily.

I then watched as Dawn and Misty Exchanged Pokénav. numbers.

"Well thank you. See you later hopefully." Dawn said.

"yea see you later. Take care and good luck on all of your journeys." Misty said as we all left her place.

"I like Misty she is really nice." Dawn said to Paul and me

"Well we certainly ended up having an awesome Christmas." I said.

"Anyway lets all head to the Battle Arena." Paul told us

"Don't worry we're going to go there." I said

We all left on our ways but I still knew we would always keep these memories of this super cool time and this awesome CHristmas which has turned out to be one of my favorite Christmas's ever and I hope Paul and Dawn feel the same way.

To be continued

* * *

_Dawn: Well I hope you Guys enjoyed this chapter._

_Barry: Let me know how I did with narrating today and also let me know what you think of my decision to collect the Kanto badges._

_Paul: Well at least you finally decided to do something._

_Dawn: I hope all of you reader have fantastic holidays. Thank you for reading todays chapter and please leave a review to let us know what you thought of our first holiday special. See you all next time bye._


	9. Chapter 9 Enter Mat

_Dawn: Well everyone I hope you all had some great holidays._

_Paul:Yea whatever._

_Barry:We hope they were all as fun as ours._

_Dawn:ANyway today we are going to meet someone entirely new._

_Paul: Thats a change._

_Dawn: And also I know we haven't done this for two chapters, but this chapter will be told in Paul's POV for the entire chapter._

_Paul: Thank god_

_Dawn: Thank you all for reading up till know and we hope you enjoy this chapter. It's also gonna be our first attempt at an OC so let us know how we did and what you think of him and his team. With that being said, lets start the chapter_

* * *

**_Chapter 9 Enter Mat_**

(Paul's POV)

It had been a week since we left Cerulean and we were almost at Saffron city And we were currently near Saffron city. We were currently traveling a road that would lead to Cerulean city. There were many trees along the path.

"All right I can't wait to arrive at this city and challenge it's gym." Barry said with great amount of energy.

"Thats fine just make sure you remember that I'm going to challenge the Battle Arena first." I said to Barry.

"No way thats not fair." Barry started to complain.

"Look I don't know about you but I've been studying the Frontier brain. Her name is Greta and she is a skilled martial Artist. Kinda like how Maylene acts only hopefully she will be a challenge."

"Hey Maylene was a great trainer." Dawn told me.

"Please, I beat her easily. She was a disgrace of a gym leader and a worthless opponent." I said

"Look the only reason she lost so easily was because she was still confused at becoming a gym leader. Trust me she's a completely better trainer now."

"I'll believe that when I see it." I said refusing to believe that disgrace of a gym leader could have improved.

"Anyway as I was saying before Dawn rudely interrupted me." I started saying as I noticed Dawn was glaring at me in a angry way. "Greta also usually uses fighting type Pokémon and if I use my Honchkrow then I will have a huge advantage." i said

"Look thats all great and all but how does this prove that you should have your battle before I have mine?" Barry asked me

"My point is I've been studying how to win my battle by using this." I said as I pulled the book that had information on all of the Battle Frontier that Dawn had given me for Christmas.

"Well I'm glad to see you've been using my gift." Dawn said happily.

"As I was saying I've been studying and developing a plan to beat Greta. And what about you Barry do you even know who the gym leader is or what type go Pokémon they use." I said to Barry

"Well I haven't really got the chance to look up any info on the gym leader yet." Barry said empresses

"I knew it. look you should get some info before you fight her." I said calmly. Barry then remained silence (For once) as we continued waking for a few more minutes (Probably because he was embarrassed).

"Hey excuse me can you guys help me for a bit." We all heard a voice say.

"Did you guys hear that?" Dawn asked as she looked around.

"I heard it but I don't see anyone." I said

"Hey who are you. Show yourself or I'm gonna fine you." Barry yelled at the invisible man.

"I'm up hear. Just look directly above you." We heard the boy yell.

As we looked up we saw a boy who was tied up to a tree with a rope holding him upside down by his foot.

"What on earth are you doing up there?" Dawn asked the boy

"You know just hanging around." He said but none of us laughed at the joke "Come on none of you guys found that funny. Tough crowd. Anyway if its not to much trouble could you guys please help me get down from here."

"We really can't just leave him up can we?" Dawn said

"Yes wee could. I mean it's none of our business." I said

"Come on Paul you know thats not the right thing to do"

"I know that I was just giving a suggestion." I said and I then turned to Barry. "You should send out your Bulbasaur and have it cut the rope thats holding this guy up."

"Good idea Paul. Bulbasaur come out and use Razor Leaf to cut the rope thats holding that kid in the air." Barry said as he sent out his Bulbasaur and it used it's Razor Leaf to set the boy free.

The boy then fell from the high up tree and landed on the ground.

"Ouch that hurt." The boy said as he rubbed his head.

Now that he was in front of us, we could actually see what he looked like. He had short black and had a red long sleeved shirt on with long blue jeans.

"Thanks so much for the help." He said as he started looking around the ground.

"Um what are you looking for." Dawn asked the boy.

"I'm looking for my hat. It fell off when I got caught in that trap."

"Well you were upside down." Dawn said

"Yea I suppose you have a point. Ah there it is." The kid said as he picked up a Green and white hat and out it on his head. "Thanks again. My name is Mathew but my friends just call me Mat." Mat told us.

"NIce to meet you Mat. I'm Dawn and these are my two friends Paul and Barry."

"Wait your names are Paul, Barry and Dawn. Are you three by any chance from the Sinnoh region."

"Everyone always seems to ask us that question. It really gets annoying after awhile but yes we are from Sinnoh. And before you ask Barry and I did enter the Sinnoh league. Barry made the top 16 and I made it into the top Eight. Dawn also was the runner up in the Grand festival." I told Mat

"Oh I see. I thought I heard of you guys before. I'm from Hoen and I made it into the top 8 of the Hoen league." Mat told us.

"Top 8 huh that's not a bad position." I said

"Thanks a bunch."

"So what exactly were you doing in that trap?" Dawn asked Mat.

"Well it's actually kind of embarising. You see I set up that trap to try to capture a wild Arcanine I saw but it was so fast it ran right past the trap. So I tried to run after i but I accidently fell into my own trap." Mat said embarrassed.

"You gotta be kidding me. Why didn't you try to battle the Arcanine?" I asked

"Well I did try that earlier but it just kept excaping me. It doesn't matter now because it's long gone by now."

"Whatever. So why did you come to Kanto if you are from Hoen?" I asked mat

"Well I came here to compete in the Indigo league." Mat said

"Is that so. Then how many badges have you collected so far in Kanto.

"After I beat the Saffron city gym I'll already have three." Mat said as we all went quiet for a minute. "Hey whats wrong?" Mat asked all of us

"Well you do know the Indigo league starts in less then two months right. Theres not enough time to collect 6 more badges even if you're close to one of them."

"What are you fricken serious." Mat said as he started getting depressed. "Great now I'm just gonna be wasting my time."

"Hey don't be like that look You will still get some great experience out of it so you shouldn't quite." Dawn told Mat

"Yea I guess you have a good point. Well thanks for warning me about the league imagine if I had tried to enter it. People would think I was an ideot or something like that." Mat then turned to me. "Hey you made it to the top 8 too right?" Mat said

"I did but the top 8 I made it into was in Sinnoh not Hoen."

"I know all that but that still means we made it to the same place. That also means our area of skill has to be pretty close. So wanna battle."

"A battle huh. Sure why not I've been training my Pokémon hard and this is a good chance to see how much they improved." I said. "So were should we battle?"

"There is an fighting dojo in Saffron city. It's also right next to the gym so that works out good," Mat told us.

"Very well we'll battle there." I said

"If we are all heading to the gym right now then wouldn't it make more sense if I got to battle the gym leader first." Barry said

"Fine whatever." I said

"Great then what are we waiting for." Barry said as he ran ahead.

"Well he sure has a lot of spirit." Mat said

"He may have a lot of spirit but he's also a huge pain in my ass." I said

"I could tell. Still theres nothing wrong with being full of energy. And besides I'm also a very energized person when I battle."

"Whatever lets just head to Saffron city." I said as we began to head to the city.

* * *

When we arrived at Saffron city in an hour and we found Barry waiting outside the dojo.

"What took you guys so long? I should fine all of you for making me wait." Barry yelled a us as we finally arrived.

"It's not my fault you ran a head like a maniac." I said "Any way lets enter and have our battle."

We all entered the room and inside they had at least 15 different stages that we could use for a battle. All go the stages looked like a wrestling ring. As we looked around the room, we saw many trainers having battles. We quickly entered a empty ring and we stood on opposite sides of each other.

"So how many Pokémon do you want to use." I asked Mat.

"How about we make our battle five on five." Mat suggested.

"I don't think I've ever seen a five on five battle before." Dawn said

"Thats because not many trainers use them. I have daily ever been in five on five battles myself but I have no problem having them. So five on five it is." I said.

"Right lets begin. Wobbuffet come out and lets fight." Mat said as he sent out his Wobbuffet.

"Wobbuffet huh thats defiantly a weird choice. Still this means I'll have to choose my Pokémon wisely. I got it Weavile stand by for battle." I said as I sent out Weavile.

"Use Ice beam." I said

"Safeguard." Mat said

Weavbile fired its Ice beam but Wobbuffet but up a barrier to make sure Wobbuffet didn't get frozen.

"Damn it now that barrier will be up for awhile and even if he changes Pokémon then the barrier will still remain up. This makes all of my me unable to use any skills that . In that case lets use Night slash." I said as Weavile slash Wobbuffet with it's claws. Wobbuffet took massive damage and was just barley standing.

"Now use Counter." Mat said

Wobbuffet then hit Weavile with twice as much power as the attack Weavile had just dealt. It hit Weavile with such power that it knocked my Weavile right out.

"Thats one down." Mat said happily

"Weavile come back right now." I said annoyed at Weavile. "Go Gliscor."

"Gli." Gliscor said as it came out of it's Pokéball.

"Lets win this quickly use Guilotine so Wobbuffet can't counter you." I said as Gliscor went for the kill.

"Wobbufett dodge it." Mat said as Wobbuffet jumped to the side and Gliscor missed

"Get behind it and use Guilotine once again." I said as Gliscir got behind and went to win the match. This time my attack couldn't miss.

"Wobbuffet use Destiny Bond." Mat said as Wobbufet connected the two.

"Stop your attack Gliscor." I said

But it was to late Gliscor hit Wobbufet and took it down but because of Destiny Bond it went down too.

"This makes our score two to one." Mat said.

"Well I can see how you made it into the to eight of the Hoen League. Now for my third Pokémon. Eevee stand by for battle." I said as I sent out my Eevee.

"Vee." Eevee said as it jumped on my shoulder.

"Not here I need you twi battle." I said as Eevee sadly jumped down from my shoulder.

"Paul why are you using Eevee?" Dawn asked me.

"I need to test out Eevee's power." I said.

"So your next Pokémon is Eevee huh. in that case I'll use my Marshstomp". Mat said as he sent out his mud fish Pokémon.

"Marshstomp lets start things of by using Mud shit."

"Dodge it Eevee." I said

Marshtomp shot many balls if mud but Eevee kept jumping around and dodged all of them.

"Now use quick attack." I said as Eevee ran into Marshtomp and sent it flying back.

"Marshtomp get up and use Hydro Pump." Mat said

"Dodge it and use Shadow Ball."

Marshtomp fired its beam of Water but Eevee jumped out of the way and fired its Shadow Ball that hit Marshtomp.

"Damn it Marshtomp use Hydro Pump ."

"Double Team Eevee." I told my Eevee

Eevee then made many clones of itself and it was impossible to tell which one was the real one.

"Now your going to have to guess and see if you can find the real one." I said

"Sorry but I have a counter for that. Marshtomp use Earthquake."

Marsh shook the Earth and hit all of the Eevee's. It soon found the real one and hit it.

"Now use Hydro pump."

"Counter it with Shadow Ball."

The two attack collided and cancelled each other out.

"Now Eevee use quick attack." I said as Eevee slammed into Marshtomp and damaged it.

"Marshtomp get up and hit it with Hydro pump."

Marshtomp fired it's attack and sent Eevee flying backward.

Eevee then got up to it's feat but it was barley still standing.

"All right it's time to end this. Marshtomp use Dynamic Punch." Mat said as his Marshtomp went to finish Eevee.

"When its about to hit you you use Return." I said

Right when Marshtomp was about to finish of Eevee, Eevee ducked and slammed into it with its most powerful attack. Marshtomp went flying into the other side of the ring. Marshtomp then fainted.

"Wow that sure was one powerful Return. Your Eevee must really love you." Mat said impressed.

"Believe me Paul's Eevee thinks Paul is the best. I have no Idea why though." Dawn said

"Will you shut up." I said and then turned to Mat. "Whats your third Pokemon?"

" You'll see. You may be surprised by this one. Go Whirlipede." Mat said as he send out a strange gray Pokémon that was curled up to look like a tire but also had spikes on it..

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" I asked looking at the strange Pokemon I never saw before.

"Don't worry Paul I'm looking it up." Dawn said as she pulled out her poked.

"Whirlipede, the Curlipede Pokémon and the evolved form of Ventipede.

Whirlipede stores energy for evolution, it sits. But, when predators approach, it moves to stab them with poison spikes." The Pokédex said

"Paul it also says that this Pokémon is from is from the Unova region." Dawn told me.

"What. How the hell do you have a Pokémon from the Unova region? I thought you said you were from the Hoen Region."

"Believe me I am from the Hoen Region. I have a cousin and she's from Unova and we sometimes trade Pokémon. Thats how I got this guy pretty cool right."

"Knowing someone who had been from the Unova region. Some people have all the luck." Barry said sounding jealous.

"It doesn't matter where it's from. I'm still gonna defeat it. Eevee use Shadow Ball on it." I said

Eevee fired it's Shadow ball and it hit Whirlipede and knocked it back a few feat.

"Use toxic." Mat said

Whirlipede shot out the poison attack and it hit Eevee and poisoned it.

"Damn it. Eevee come back." I said as I returned my Eevee to it's poke ball. "Charmander stand by for battle." I said as I sent out my fire type Pokémon.

"Whirlipede use Toxic." Mat said

"Dodge it by jumping in the air and then use Flamethrower."

Charmander jumped out of the way and then shot out a Flamethrower that hit Whirlipede.

"Run over Charmander by using Steamroller."

Whirlipede cam straight for Charmander and was going to run him over.

"CHarmander stop it dead in it's tracks by using Fire Fang." I said

The moment before Whirlipede ran over Charmander, Charmander bit down own Whirlipede stopping it from moving.

"Whirlipede use Toxic since your so close to Charmander." Mat said as Whirlipede shot it's poison straight into Charmander. "Now use Venoshock." Mat said as his Whirlipede used some kind of a poison energy wave that dealt damage to my Charmander. "This attack does double damage if my opponent is poisoned." Mat said with a grin."Now use Poison tail."

"Don't give it a chance Charmander use Dragon Claw."

Whirlipede went to finish Charmander off but before it had the chance to, Charmander took its claws and slashed Whirlipede knocking it out.

"Thats three down now." I said

"Aw man I didn't think you would beat that one." Mat said disappointed.

"All right Paul has the lead now." Barry said.

"Don't count me out yet. Go Absol." Mat said as he sent out his Absol.

"Absol use Dark Pulse."

Absol fired it's Dark Pulse and hit Charmander.

"Charmander use Flamethrower."

Charmander hit Absol right back with a Flamethrower.

" Use Psycho cut."

"Knock it right away with Dragon Claw."

Absol fired the Psycho cut but Charmander used it's Dragon Claw to knock it away.

"Now use Flamethrower once more."

Charmander fired Flamethrower and hit Absol once again.

"Absol get up."

"Ab." Absol said as it stood up

"Char!" Charmander yelled in pain as it took damage from being poisoned. Charmander was really damaged now.

"Damn it this isn't good."

"Lets end this Absol with NIght Slash." Mat said

"Sorry but that won't happen. Charmander collide Night Slash with your Dragon Claw." I said

The two Pokémon collided their attacks and it caused a explosion to occur.

By the time the smoke cleared both Pokémon war standing up and it looked like one was about to fall.

"Ab." Absol said breathing heavily

"Char…Man…Der" Charmander said as it fell to the ground.

"Charmander come back." I said as I called back Charmander.

"Well now both of us only have two guys left." Mat said

"I don't need you to tell me that." I said. "Eevee stand by for battle." I said as I sent out Eevee once more. (Thankfully this time it was ready to battle and it didn't jump on my should.)

"Vee. Vee" My Eevee said as it breathed heavily, still taking damage from the poison.

"Listen Eevee I know your poisoned but you still need to fight hard.

"Vee." Eevee said giving me a smile

"Absol use Psycho cut."

"Eevee jump to the left and fire your Shadow Ball."

Eevee dodged the move and shot out it Shadow ball to damage Absol. It didn't deal much damage though.

"Eevee us Quick attack."

Eevee ran straight into Absol and damaged it a bit.

"Absol use Razor wind."

"While it's charging up to use that attack, use Shadow Ball." I said as Eevee fired the attack and hit Absol once again.

Eevee was about to fire a second Shadow Ball but Eevee got hit by Razor wind right before Eevee could fire the attack.

"Now use Night Slash."

"Eevee use double team right now."

Eevee made the clones and Absol missed its attack.

"Now use Return to end this." I said as Eevee ran into Absol and knocked it out.

"Absol return you did a good job thanks. Well it's time for you to meet my final Pokémon. I'll warn you this Pokémon was the first ever Pokémon I ever had. All right let win this go Lombre." Mat said as he sent his Lombre.

"Thats stance why would a Lombre be his best Pokémon? Either way I should be careful. Eevee use Return." I said

"Don't give it a chance fire Hydro Pump." Mat said

Lombre quickly fired it's Hydro cannon and it instantly hit Eevee and knocked Eevee out.

"Eevee come back." I said as I recalled my Eevee. _Damn it how is that Lombre so powerful shouldn't Mat have given Lombre a Water stone._I thought to myself. "Looks like now both of us are now down to our last Pokémon. It's a good thing I had Oak send over this guy before I left Cerulean City. Honchkrow stand by for battle." I said as I sent out my Honchkrow to battle.

"Lombre use Hydro pump."

"Dodge it and use Aerial ace."

Honchkrow moved away from the Hydro pump and hit Lombre with it's Aerial Ace attack.

"Use Aerial ace again."

"Counter it with Thunder punch."

Honchkrow went to deal more damage to Lombre but Lombre ducked to dodge the attack and counters it by using thunder punch to hurt Honchkrow.

"Wait so Lombre can use Thunder Punch." I said

"Thats right I taught it this move to counter any flying types." Mat told me

_Despite how he acts this kid is actually a great trainer. It's no wonder he made it to the top eight in the Hoen League._ I thought.

"Honchkrow fly into the air and use Brave Bird."

"Wait for it to get close and use Thunder punch again."

But this time it didn't work. Honchkrow moved with such great speed that Lombre couldn't react in time. Honchkrow ran into Lombre and knocked it backwards on the ground. BUt then Honchkrow took recoil damage.

"Damn it Honchkrow is in trouble." I said

"Oh no this isn't looking good for Lombre."

"I gotta win this now. Honchkrow start charging up for Sky Attack."

"Lombre I need you to start charging up for Solar beam okay. We need to win this right here and now" Mat said

Both Pokémon started charging up for about a minute. Honchkrow finished a bit earlier and went to finish of Lombre but when it was about to hit Lombre fired Solarbeam and it was a t to close of a distance to dodge.

"If we can't dodge it you need to go right into the beam." I said

Honchkrow flew straight into the Solar beam. It was taking damage by the second and was coming close to hitting Lombre. Finnally Honchkrow reached Lombre and hit it.

After the attack hit Honchkrow flew back to get some distance from Lombre but both of then looked like they were about to faint at any moment.

"Honch."

"Lom."

Suddenly Lombre fell to the ground.

"Oh no common Lombre please get up." Mat said but it was no use Lombre was down for the count.

"Looks like I win." I said as I recalled my Honchkrow.

"Yea I guess so." Mat said annoyed as he recalled his Lombre. "Good battle." He said as he walked up to me and extended his hand.

"It was a well fought battle." I said as I shook his. "I have one question though."

"Well whatever it is ask away."

"Why haven't you evolved your Lombre yet. I mean it seems to be well trained so haven't you evolved it yet."

"Don't you think I've tried. No matter how hard I train it, it just doesn't seem evolve. Pity too I love Ludicolo's."

"You do know Lombres Evolve by giving them a water stone right?" I told him.

"… HUH are you serious? I never knew that wow thats cool. I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't know that though." Mat said blushing out of being embarrassed.

"It's no big deal we all forget stuff." Dawn said.

"Hey quick question. Is it cool if I stay and watch you challenge the Frontier Brain?" Mat asked us

"It doesn't matter do as you want."

"Cool thanks a bunch."

Siddenly the dojo's doors came flying open and we saw a blonde head girl in a red and black karate uniform.

"Hey no way isn't that Greta." We heard some trainers say.

"Greta. Paul why do you think she's here?" Dawn asked.

"Were are you!" Greta yelled "I thought we were gonna have a battle."

" Paul do you think she's talking to you?" Dawn asked me

"She can't be. I never called to register a battle." I said

"Cpme on stop hiding. You promised me that you would be awaiting right here at this exact time. I wasn't a second late so were are you. I came all the way from the BAttle Arena for this." Greta kept yelling

Finally we heard someone stand up. "Geeze Greta you need to calm down. I was going to answer you but you kept on yelling. And who are you to complain about traveling a long distance. I had a much harder time since I had to travel all the way from Sinnoh." The girl said as she stepped into the light so we could se her.

"Hey Paul isn't that-?" Dawn began but didn't finish her sentence

"Yea thats her Dawn but what the hell is she doing here?" I

The girl who was there was none other than Maylene, the fighting type gym leader of Sinnoh. She was also the Gym leader of my home town that I beat easily but Dawn kept on telling me she was better than when I fought her.

As i Saw standing there I Only kept on thinking the same question over and over again in my head. _Why the hell is Maylene in Kanoto?_

To be continued

* * *

_Dawn: Well a lot sure did happen in this chapter,_

_Paul: Why is Maylene back anyway._

_Dawn: Well if you want to find out then you just have wait for the next chapter._

_Barry: Man I'm so excited._

_Dawn: Still it was great how we made a new friend today and Paul got _to face him.

_Paul: all that matters is that I won._

_Dawn: Whatever you say. I hope you all liked this chapter. Please Review to let us know what you all thought and what are any of your future thoughts/expectations for the future chapters. Thank you all for reading and see you next time._


	10. Chapter 10 Battle of the Karate Masters

_Dawn: Wow I wonder what Maylene's doing here._

_Paul: I don't see how it matters._

_Barry: Come on Paul you should be a bit more excited._

_Dawn: Yes that's right Paul._

_Paul:f ine._

_Dawn: Either way here is the new chapter and today it's a bit earlier that usually so we hope you enjoyed it. That being said we hope you have fun reading this chapter and please let us know what you all think of Maylene being in it. Well lets start the capter._

* * *

**Chapter 10 Battle of the Karate Masters and Paul's problem.**

(Paul's POV)

I couldn't believe what I was looking at. Why on earth was Maylene here in Kanto? It just made no sense. That wasn't the only weird thing though. Along with Maylene, there was the frontier brain that I had to battle soon, Greta.

Greta then walked up to Maylene and they both stared at each other for a minute.

"It's good to see you once again my friend and rival. Uss." Greta said as she bowed to Maylene.

"Yes it sure has been awhile how have things been going as a frontier brain?" Maylene as Greta as she bowed to her.

Both of the girls returned back from their bows to their regular positions. "I wish I could say it was fun but sadly I've never been more bored. So far I've failed to meet a worthy opponent who is able to put up a good fight."

"Really not a single trainer has proven to be worthy opponent for you."

"So far everyone I've battled has proven to be a disappointment. I haven't faced anyone strong in a year. The last worthy opponent I went up against was a kid named Ash and he ended up defeating the whole Battle Frontier." Greta told Maylene.

"No way you couldn't possible be talking about Ash Ketchum from Pallet town?"

"Yup that's him. How do you know him?"

"He came to Sinnoh and challenged my gym. I owe him and this friend of his called Dawn a lot. They helped me decide to continue as a gym leader."

"Why on earth didn't you want to quite as a gym leader?"

"Well I got destroyed in a battle against this kid name Paul because my Pokémon and I were out of sync. But thanks to Ash and his friends I decide to keep trying. I quickly became one of Sinnoh's top gym leaders. I'm still weaker than Volkner and Byron but I'm still a lot stronger."

"Well that's good I'm glad to see you have become so powerful. I bet if you fought that kid that beat you now then you would win."

"Maybe but you never know. Either way it doesn't matter. Paul was a heartless jerk who had no love for his Pokémon and I decide not to care what he thinks because he's just a jerk. And besides I heard Ash beat him in battle during the Sinnoh league so I guess he got what he deserved." Maylene said laughing a bit.

I then walked up behind her. "So glad you talk that way about me when I'm not around." I said from behind her.

Maylene suddenly stopped laughing and turned to face me. "Paul. What on earth are you doing here?" She said in disbelief.

"Hey Maylene, how are you doing." Dawn said as she ran up to Maylene.

"Hey Dawn it's great to see you. What are you doing in Kanto." Maylene asked Dawn. She looked really happy to see Dawn.

"I'm competing in the Kanto contest and I plan to win the grand festival her. I'm also traveling with this kid Barry." Dawn said as she pointed out Barry

"Hello there nice to meet you." Maylene said to Barry.

"Hello there. Good to meet you. So you're a Sinnoh gym leader." Barry replied

"Yup that's right."

"I must've never battled you. Are you strong?" Barry asked Maylene

"She's anything but strong. Trust me Barry she's a pathetic gym leader." I told Barry.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Maylene is a great gym leader!" Dawn said yelling at me.

"It's okay Dawn I really don't care what he thinks. But one quick question. Are you and Barry traveling with Paul?" Maylene asked Dawn

"And what if we are." I said before Dawn had a chance to speak.

"Why on earth would someone as nice as Dawn be traveling with someone like you?"

"Don't worry it's really not as bad as you would think it is. He's still a pain in the ass at times though." Dawn said as she and Maylene laughed together.

"Like your one to talk." I said to Dawn

"As for why we're traveling together, Pal's older brother suggested we all try that because he wanted Paul to become less of a jerk." Dawn said

"You know I can still hear you right?" I said annoyed.

"Aw I see that does make sense. Paul really does need to learn be nicer and to show some compassion a little bit more." Maylene said as her, Dawn, Barry, and Mat all started laughing.

"All of you, Shut up." I said to everyone as they started to stop laughing.

"Okay fine. Sorry Paul." Dawn told me but I just looked at her annoyed.

"Maylene are these people friends of yours." Greta asked

"Yea. Dawn's the friend I was telling you about earlier. Paul is the trainer that I told you about. You know the one that beat me." Maylene said

"Ah I see. Well good to meet all of you. Uss." Maylene said as she bowed to all of us.

Barry and Dawn bowed back but I remained standing straight. "So are you the Frontier brain of the Battle Arena?" I asked her.

"That's right." Greta told me.

"Good then I challenge you to a battle." I said as I pulled out my frontier case and showed my symbol I got for defeating Noland.

"Oh so you defeated Noland huh. That's defiantly impressive. Perhaps you will be a worthy opponent or at least I hope so." Greta said.

"Good so I take it you will accept my challenge."

"Of course I will but not right now. I let's have a battle in a few days okay."

"Sounds good. This only gives me more time to prepare for our match."

"So why are you here in Kanto Maylene?" Dawn asked Maylene.

"Well I came here because I always wanted to see the Kanto region and Greta invited me to come visit it."

"Really wow that sure was nice of Greta to invite you."

"Well she actually invited me here for a reason." Maylene said

"Really and what exactly was that reason?" Dawn asked Maylene.

"I wanted to have a battle with Maylene since we're both Karate masters. So are you ready to have the battle?" Greta asked

"Hey wait a minute." We heard Mat say as he ran up to Maylene.

"Hello who exactly are you?" Maylene asked Mat

"I'm a friend of Dawn, Paul, and Barry and I'm also traveling the Kanto region. You're a gym leader right?"

"Yea."

"Great then I want to have a battle with you. This way I can earn my 3rd Kanto gym badge." Mat said excited.

"Mat you do know that she's a gym leader from the Sinnoh Region right? Even if you beat her the badge isn't Kanto one." I told him

"Huh, seriously. That sucks. Do you still want to battle though?"

"I'm sorry I came here on vacation and I'd rather relax here. I'm only gonna battle Greta because I promised her that I would."

"Aw man that's a bummer." Mat said disappointed.

"If you ever visit Sinnoh then I'll make sure to battle you." Maylene said

"Fine it's a deal." Mat said.

"Anyway you wanna battle right now Maylene." Greta asked Maylene

"Sure why not let's make it three on three okay." Maylene said

"All right sound good let's start." Greta said as both trainer went to enter the ring in which they would have their battle.

"Hey Maylene is it okay if we all watch your battle?" Dawn asked

"Of course it's no problem with me if it's no problem with Greta."

"Sounds fine with me the more the merrier." Greta said

"This is good. Now I can observer Greta's battling style." I said

"Well good then you better pay attention." Dawn said with a grin.

"Don't worry I intend to." I said

"Wow I've never seen a battle between two fighting type Pokémon trainers." Barry said

"I know neither have I." Mat said

"I'm really excited to see this." Barry said

"Agreed, this will be sweet." Mat said

"Will both of you stop talking I'm trying to watch this battle so I can study Greta's battling style." I said

"Aw fine." Barry said

"So this will be a three on three Pokémon battle. Now let us begin. Uss." Greta said bowing to Maylene.

"Yes let's start." Maylene said bowing back.

Both trainers got back to their original positions.

"All right Hariyama lets go." Greta said as she sent out her big fighting type Pokémon.

"Yes Machoke lets win this together." Maylene said

"Hariyama use Arm thrust. Uss."

"Machoke wait for Hariyama to get close to you and then counter with Brick Break." Maylene said

Hariyama ran toward Machoke but Machoke countered it by swinging it's arm and it using Brick Break on Hariyama's head. Maylene mirrored her Machoke's movements. Hariyama fell backwards and fell down.

"Hariyama get up and use Vital Throw." Greta said

Hariyama got back up and grabbed Machoke and threw it on the floor. It knocked Machoke on the floor with great force slamming Machoke on the ground.

Machoke then rose to its feet but it was breathing heavily.

"Machoke hit Hariyama dead on by using Cross Chop." Maylene said as she crossed her arms like Machoke was going to do.

Machoke moved forward with its arms crossed and hit Hariyama and moved it back a few feet.

"All right now use Cross chop once again." Maylene said as Machoke ran toward Hariyama to hit it.

"We won't let that happen again. Hariyama grab Machoke and use Seismic Toss to throw it in the air." Greta said.

Hariyama grabbed Machoke and jumped in the air with Machoke in its arms. It kept heading into the air until it was really high up. Hariyama then took Machoke and threw it straight toward the ground. As Machoke fell it kept on picking up speed until it slammed into the ground. Hariyama then landed on its feet a few seconds after Machoke hit the ground.

"Come on Machoke you gotta get up." Maylene said as her Machoke got back up to its feet.

"All right Hariyama les finish this by using Focus Punch." Greta told her Hariyama

"We won't let that happen. Machoke counter the attack by using Dynamic punch right now." Maylene said as she took her first and punched the air using great force.

The two Pokémon both collided their attacks. They both punched each other with great force. After they had finished their attacks, they were both breathing heavily.

"Hari." Hariyama said

"Ma…Choke." Machoke said as it fell face first into the ground.

"Aw man, Machoke return, you fought wonderfully." Maylene said as she recalled her Machoke.

"Don't worry Maylene. I know you can still win." Dawn cheered for Maylene.

"Don't worry I have no intention of giving up. Now it's time for me to use my second Pokémon. Let's win this. Go Hitmontop." Maylene said as she sent out the small fighting type Pokémon.

"Wow I didn't know Maylene caught a Hitmontop." Dawn said

"A gym leader doesn't always choose to use all of their Pokémon. Just because Maylene never used Hitmontop doesn't mean she never had one." I told Dawn

"Oh yea good point. Mow that I think about it Volkner had a Raichu but when he battled Ash, he didn't use the Raichu." Dawn said.

"Exactly."

"Oh that makes a lot of sense actually." Barry said to us.

"I guess but I think A trainer should always use all of their Pokémon." Mat told us.

"Well don't forget you may be saying that right now but when we battled you wanted to have a five on five battle.

Mat then went quite for a second. "Oh yea I guess I see your point." He said sounding a little embarrassed.

"Hey can you two please be quiet. Maylene and Greta are about to start the next round of their battle." Dawn told us.

We all turned to watch the he rest of the battle.

"Hariyama use Vital throw."

"Hitmontop use Detect to avoid the attack." Maylene told her Hitmontop.

Hariyama went to throw Hitmontop but Hitmontop used detect to see the attack coming so Hitmontop was able to dodge the attack.  
"Good now use rolling kick." Maylene told Hitmontop

Hitmontop started rolling and kicked Hariyama in the face.

"Good now let's end this by using triple kick." Maylene told Hitmontop.

Hitmontop took its legs and kicked Hariyama three times with Maylene mirroring its moves. It kicked Hariyama so hard; it got knocked backwards and fainted.

"Aw man. Hariyama return good effort. You fought well." Greta said to her Hariyama.

"All right great going Maylene you only have to defeat two more Pokémon now." Dawn said happily.

"Now it's time for me to use my second Pokémon. Medicham lets battle. Uss." Greta said as she sent out her Medicham.

"Hitmontop use triple kick." Maylene said as her Hitmontop kicked Medicham three times. Medicham got knocked back but Medicham got up and was still ready to continue battling.

"Medicham use Mind reader." Greta said

"What does Mind reader do?" Dawn asked

"Mind Reader is an attack that makes the Pokémon's next attack a definite hit." I told Dawn.

"Wow an attack like that sure sounds helpful." Mat said

"It defiantly is. Now whatever attack Greta decides to use next will hit no matter what." I told everyone.

"Now Medicham use Hi Jump Kick." Greta said.

"Hitmontop try to dodge the attack." Maylene said.

Hitmontop tried to avoid the high jump kick, but Medicham's Mind Reader attack made Medicham's Hi Jump Kick follow Hitmontop around until it hit Hitmontop.

Hitmontop got back on its feet but it was struggling to get up.

"Now use Ice Punch." Greta said

"Use counter Hitmontop." Maylene said

Medicham punched Hitmontop with its frozen fist but after the attack had hit Hitmontop hit Medicham with twice as much power.

"Wow Maylene used counter just like I did with Wobbuffet when I was battling you Paul." Mat said

"That's right. Probably because it's a very useful attack, just like destiny bond." I said to Mat.

"Good point." Mat said as he continued to watch the battle.

"All right now use Rolling kick Hitmontop." Maylene said.

Hitmontop spun around and kicked Medicham in the face.

"Good job now use Triple kick." Maylene said

"Don't let them try that counter the attack by using Psychic." Greta said.

Hitmontop moved toward Medicham but Medicham countered it by using its Psychic. It stopped Hitmontop with its mind and threw Hitmontop into the wall with such great force that Hitmontop fell down and fainted.

"Oh no Hitmontop return. You did great. Come back and take a rest." Maylene said.

"Aw man this doesn't look good for Maylene. Now she's down to her final Pokémon." Barry said.

"I know what you mean. It looks like Maylene is about to lose." Mat said

"Don't either of you dare start counting Maylene out yet. Neither of you have ever fought her so you wouldn't understand." Dawn said

"What wouldn we understand." Mat said.

"You wouldn't understand that Maylenes last Pokémon is an extremely powerful one." Dawn said. Paying attention to the battle.

"It's all up to you now I'm counting on you. Lucario lets win this." Maylene said as she sent out her main partner.

"Well let's begin. Medicham use Mind Reader." Greta said.

"Looks Like she's planning to use the same strategy she used earlier." I said.

"Don't you worry about Maylene Paul. That plan won't work a second time in a row." Dawn told me.

"Believe me I wasn't worried about her." I told Dawn and I continued to watch the battle.

"Lucario use Force Palm." Maylene said

Lucario ran into Medicham and pushed it with its palm and pushed Medicham backwards.

"Get back up Medicham and use Hi Jump Kick." Greta said as Medicham jumped in the air and went to hit Lucario.

"I'm not gonna let that happen again. Lucario use Aura Sphere." Maylene said to here Lucario as she move her hands in the way Lucario does to use Aura Sphere

Medicham went to kick Lucario but Lucario hit it with its Aura Sphere. Medicham got knocked back and fell on the ground unconscious.

"Great job Lucario." Maylene said happily.

"See I told you Maylene's Lucario is awesome. Now Greta's down to her final Pokémon." Dawn said happily.

"Why exactly are you celebrating? Did you already forget that Greta still has one Pokémon left and I'm willing to bet that her final Pokémon is her best Pokémon." I said

"Paul's right Dawn." Barry said.

"It doesn't matter I know Maylene can win this battle if Lucario and her try had enough." Dawn said believing in Maylene

"Look I'm just warning you never underestimate a Frontier brain." I told Dawn as we looked to see what Greta's final Pokémon will be.

I'm having so much fun that I have to use him. Get ready to meet my ultimate Pokémon. Go Infernape. Uss." Greta said as she sent out the fire monkey Pokémon.

"No way she has an Infernape." I said not believing what I was looking at.

"Paul are you okay you look troubled?" Dawn asked me sounding concerned.

I kept remembering my final battle with Ash and how it ended. I couldn't stand the thought of having to battle an Infernape.

"Paul, are you okay?" Dawn asked me once again sounding really worried.

"Huh Yea I'm fine just remembering something. Thanks for worrying about me." I said not really paying attention to what I was saying.

"Huh did you just thank me? Now I know there's defiantly something wrong with you. Maybe we should see a doctor." Dawn suggested to me but I ignored her and went back to watching the battle.

"Infernape use Flamethrower." Greta said as Infernape shot out a Flamethrower and hit Lucario dead on.

"Lucario use Bone Rush."

Lucario created a bone weapon and started hitting Infernape with the weapon but it didn't seem to do that much damage.

"Now Infernape, use Flare Blitz."

"Counter it by using Aura Sphere."

Lucario fired Aura sphere and hit Infernape in the center but after the attack hit, Infernape used Flare Blitz and just hit Lucario with great force.

I couldn't believe my eyes; Greta's Infernape was extremely powerful, just like Ash's Infernape was. I stood there and watch as the Infernape was pounding Lucario by using attacks like Flare Blitz and Flame thrower to destroy Lucario. Lucario fired all sorts of attacks but none of them worked against Infernape. Greta's Infernape was really well trained and it was even making Lucario look like it was nothing.

_Damn it. This Infernape is proven to be a powerful Pokémon. It just keeps beating the shit out of Lucario. How am I supposed to defeat that thing? Why am I frisking out like this? This isn't like me. I thought that when I saw Ash's Infernape at Oak's lab that it would make everything all okay with Infernapes. But right now I just keep remembering that one battle. It's not just Ash's Infernape that bothers me, it's every Infernape. Why though why. I've been beaten by other Pokémon so why are Infernape's the ones that are making me react this way. I just don't get it._ I thought to myself

"Paul Maybe we should leave for now." Dawn said

"No I wanna stay and see this." I said.

"But you really look like your in-"

"Will you please just shut the hell up? You're a real annoying bitch you know that." I said

"Hey what's your problem Paul this isn't like you at all? You need to stop acting like such a jerk or I'm going to have to fine you."

"Shut up you retard. Do you know how annoying you people are?" I screamed.

"Paul why are you acing like this. Do Infernape's really bother you that much? Why do they bother you? Do you regret how you treated them? Or are you botherd by them? Or do they just remind you of your battle with Ash? Or are you just scared of Infernape?" Dawn asked sounding really worried about me.

"I don't fricken know. Just leave me alone for now." I said

"Look I'll leave you alone for now but when you're feeling better I want you to talk to me and Barry. We're your friends and no matter how hard you try you won't be able to change that." Dawn told me. I didn't say anything back to her so she just walked to the other side I the ring to watch the rest of the battle with Barry and Mat following her from behind.

"Lucario lets risk it all right here and now with one last Aura Sphere." Maylene said as Lucario fired its final Aura Sphere. It hit Infernape dead center. Infernape took a lot of damage but it was still standing.

"Maylene. I just want to tell you that this was defiantly a fantastic battle. Sadly though, it's time I end this. Infernape finish this match with Close Combat." Greta said

Infernape ran toward Lucario and started punching it like crazy. After about a minute of watching the high leveled Infernape attack Lucario, I saw Lucario fall to the ground and faint.

"Oh no Lucario." I heard Maylene yell as her partner dropped to the ground.

I didn't react though I just stood there staring at the Infernape I started breathing heavily. I didn't understand none of this was like me. I'm not supposed to act this way. As I stood their standing at the Infernape I found myself asking one question. "What the hell is happening to me?"

To be continued.

* * *

_Barry: Hey everyone. Paul isn't doing so well so right now it will just be Dawn and I._

_Dawn: I'm starting to get worried about him_

_Barry: I know what you mean I am too._

_Dawn: Well sorry if Paul seemed a little out of character today but we want to show you guys the trouble he's going through._

_Barry: hopefully he'll be able to concur this._

_Dawn: Don't worry I'm sure he can do it. Thanks for reading today's chapter and for supporting us so far. Please leave a review on what you thought about this one and we'd really like to hear your opinions on how Paul acted in this chapter. Maybe you liked how he acted maybe you hated it but hey either way please let us know. See you all next chapter and thanks again._


	11. Chapter 11 Helping Paul

_Dawn: Well there defiantly seems to be something wrong_ _with Paul._

_Barry: I wonder whats bothering him._

_Dawn: I want to know too and I'm gonna find out._

_Barry: Of course I'll be helping too._

_Dawn: Of court. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Please read and review. Lets start todays chapter._

* * *

**_Chapter 11 Helping Paul._**

(Dawn's POV.)

_Whats wrong with Paul. I dint understand. He's really acting really weird. I hope he gets better._ I thought to myself

I was really becoming worried about Paul. He was acting scared and angry for some reason. I had taken Barry and Mat away from him to give him some space to himself.

I know Paul was bothered by the Infernape that Greata sent out but what I didn't know was why it bothered him. From the looks of things, Paul did not know why he was freaking out either.

I almost didn't even notice that Maylene had lost the battle against Greta. To bad to she put up a good fight.

"Well that was a great battle. Uss"Greta said as she bowed to Maylene,

"Your as strong as ever Greta. It was a good battle." Maylene sails bowing back

Greta then turned to Paul. " So when do you want to have our battle?" Greta asked Paul

PAul remained quiet for a few minutes so I stepped up and spoke for him. "Paul's having a bit of trouble right now. He'll battle you whenever he's feeling better if thats okay with you." I said to Greta.

"Well hurry up and fix whats wrong with him because I'm looking forward to a good battle against him." Greta said.

Paul just got up and started to walk away. "I'll be training by the Pokemon if any of you need me." He said as he quietly left the area and headed for the Pokémon center.

"Hey Dawn do you know why Paul just walked out of here like that?" Maylene asked me.

"He seems to be troubled I hope he's okay." I told Maylene.

"Well I'm sure he'll become better eventually." Maylene said with a grin.

"I sire hope so."

"Well I'm gonna be staying at Greta's place for a little while if you ever want to come and talk with me." Maylene offered."And also if Paul needs some training before his match with Greta I'll be happy to help."

"Thank you so much. Thats especially nice of you."

"Hey he may have been a jerk before but right now he seems to be having his own problems. I know you can help him Dawn after all you helped me when I was down."

"No need to worry Paul's my friend and I'll defiantly get him back to his old coldhearted self." I said joking around.

"Thats good to here. Oh and I almost forgot. I should probably tell you that tom marrow there will be a Pokemon contest held here. I know a lot is going on with Paul but still think you should enter it. It'll be fun and I'll come to watch." Maylene told me.

"Okay I'll enter. I suppose I should try to find something fun to do and who knows maybe it will help give me an idea on how to cheer up Paul." I said

"Dawn you better not try to cheer up Paul all by yourself. Don't forget I'm your friend too. SO if you don't let me help I'm gonna fine you." Barry told me.

"No need to worry Barry. I have every in intention to let you help." I said with a grin. "Thank you for telling me about the contest Maylene."

"No problem. I hope I'll see you in it." Maylene said

Mat, Barry and I all walked out of the dojo. "Good luck with making Paul feel better." Mat said

"So were are you going to go now?" Barry asked.

"I'm off to challenge the Saffron gym and after that I'm going to continue on my journey. I'd offer to help you guys cheer up Paul but I doubt I know him well enough to do that. I'd probably only make things worse. Don't worry I'm sure Paul will get better." Mat said with a grin.

"I'm sure he will. Good luck on your journey and I hope we meet again." I said to Mat.

"Don't worry I'm sure we will meet again and best of luck to you too." Mat said

"Hey Mat I have an Idea. After the two of us collect all weight Kanto badges, lets have a battle to see who's stronger." Barry suggested.

"Great idea. I'll be looking forward to it so you better train hard." Mat said as he walked away and headed towards the gym.

Barry and then started walking to the Pokémon center. "So do you have any idea how we're gonna make Paul return to his normal self?" Barry asked me.

"I wish I did. sadly though I have no idea. I'm sure we'll think of something when we arrive at the Pokémon center so no need to worry." I said but in reality I was really worried about how we were gonna help Paul out.

* * *

We arrived at the entrance of the Pokémon center. We were about to go into it when suddenly we heard a voice. "Honchkrow use sky attack." We heard someone who was clearly Paul say.

Barry and I ran behind the center and we found Paul training with his Pokémon. The center had some practice battle fields behind it and Paul was training on them.

"Hey Paul I see your training hard." I said.

"Yea." Paul said quietly. (Damn it he's still acting weird)

"So what is your game plan for going up against Greta." I asked hoping he had a good plan.

"Don't know." Paul told me (This is bad Paul always has a strategy when he goes into battle.)

"Well I bet your going to use Honchkrow right. After all it does have a type advantage against Greta's Pokémon." I said

"I know that. But what if she defeats my Honchkrow then I'll still need two other Pokémon to use."

"Well do you have any other flying types?"

"I have Ninjask but the only flying type move is Aerial ace." Paul said "Besides Ninjask won't stand a chance against Greta's Infernape."

"Well you have to at least try. Besides you have tons of powerful pokemon. Look I'm sure you'll come up with a way to win." I said with a grin.

"Maybe." Paul said turning away. I could tell he didn't mean it.

"Oh Paul I almost forgot to tell you. Tomorrow There's going to be a new pokemon contest and I'm thinking of entering it." I said to him.

"OH good then." Paul told me.

"So can I count on you and Barry to be there to cheer me on?" I asked

"Maybe. I'm not sure." Paul told me.

"Well I hope you'll come. I really need the both of you to cheer me on." I said to him.

"Look I'm not sure if I'll be there. I'm really busy." Paul said quietly ' "Come on please. Look I know seeing that Infernape bothered you but what I don't know is why. Barry and I might be able to help you if you tell us why your bothered by that Infernape." I said

"… Look I really have no Idea why I'm bothered by this. I'll be fine okay."

"Okay fine. Look BArry and I are gonna head into the Pokémon center to check on our Pokémon."

"Fine." Paul said

Barry and I went into the Pokémon center. "Why did we come in here? Shouldn't we be trying to cheer up Paul?" Barry asked me.

"First of all I don't think it's possible to cheer Paul up. Second of all I came in here for a reason. I just need to find a phone." I said as I searched the center for a phone. finally I found one.

"Who are you gonna call?" Barry asked.

I turned and looked at him. "Use your head Barry. Who is the only person who could help us. Think he's probably the only person who knows Paul better than us." I said as Barry thought for a minute.

"Oh I know you must be talking about Reggie."

"Yup thats right. Reggie gave me his number before we left and told me to call if Paul was ever getting to be a pain." I said as I called Reggie on the video phone.

"Hello there." Reggie said as he picked up the phone. He then saw that I was the one to call. "Oh hello there Dawn hows it going lately and why did you call?" Reggie asked happily.

"Hey Reggie things are going well. I got my first ribbon and Paul defeated the Battle Factory and Barry is now trying to challenge all of the Kanto gyms."

"Really thats just great I'm so glad for all of you. Were is Paul by the way I'd love to congratulations him." Reggie asked me.

"Paul's outside training for a battle with Greta."

"Really your already inSaffron city. That sure is impressive. So Paul's training right now huh thats so like him." Reggie said smiling.

"Yea I know. Paul actually is the reason why I'm calling." I said

"Your calling about Paul. Oh god this can't be good. Well what did he do. If he's being a jerk I'm sorry about that." Reggie said

"No it's not that. Actually it's something else." I went quiet for a minute and then I decided to tell Reggie Everything about what had happened to Paul.

After I finished talking to Reggie, Reggie became quiet for a minute and then decided to speak up. "I see. So Paul has been acting weird ever since he saw Greta send out an Infernape. That defiantly seems to be a problem."

"Thats what I was thinking. I thought you might have an idea on how Barry and I can make Paul return to his old self."

"So how to fix it that defiantly is the question. I know did Paul ever get to see Ash's Infernape?"

"Yea he did. Thats why I'm so confused. After Paul saw Ash's Infernape again, I thought things were going to get better because Infernape had forgiven Paul."

"Well how did Paul and Infernape meet. Did they look at each other or did they battle together."

"They just looked at one another. BUt that was all it needed to do. Paul realized that Infernape forgave him."

"That may be true but I believe that Paul will continue to be haunted by Infernapes until he battles with one once again. I realize that he has been training a Charmander right. Tell me how has he been treating it?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Barry asked

"Think about it Paul always treated his Pokémon with disrespect and he trained them harshly. Has he done that with Charmander?"

"No he hasn't. He also got an Eevee and believe me he's been training them really hard that much is true. However compared to how he trained Chimchar, his training has been fair and really well." I said

"exactly and why do you think Paul has been training his Pokémon so well."

"Well I don't know?" Barry said.

"Paul keeps on remembering what happened to Chimchar. Think about it he treated his Pokémon like dirt and look were that got him. He never won any league, he got beaten by Ash who happened to be the one trainer who he couldn't stand, and on top of all that he never even stood a chance against any of the truly skilled trainers like Cynthia or Brandon. Infernape ended up being the symbol of all of this. Ever choice Ash or Paul made usually invalid that Infernape. The only reason Infernape was able to beat Paul was because it wanted to prove to Paul that it was a powerful Pokémon."

"This is all great and all but what does this have to do with the way Paul's been acting?" I asked.

"Well that is the question isn't it. I believe that every time Paul sees an Infernape he remembers the mistake he made with Chimchar. He may try to hide it but I have a feeling that he's changed since he started traveling with the two of you. Am I right to assume this?" Reggie asked.

"Thats true. He still tries to act tuff and cold hearted but I've noticed how different he is."

"I thought so. My main belief is that Pauls feeling regret for what he's done."

"So how do we make him feel better because the way he is now, he doesn't have a chance of winning his battle against Greta." I asked

"I have one idea but it might not work."

"Tell me anyway. Whatever your idea is it's worth a shot right?"

"I suppose thats true. Okay heres my plan. We need to somehow get Paul to battle with Infernape once again. The problem with that is Infernape now belongs to Ash. We would need to get Ash's permission first and then have professor Oak send Infernape over. Even if we do all of this then theres no guaranty that it will work. I just believe that since treating Infernape badly did all of this then maybe battling with Infernape will solve all of this."

"It's a great plan and all but their actually is one little problem. Ash is currently traveling the Unova Region. How on earth are we supposed to find him."

"I might not be able to help you there but I'm almost certain professor Oak can. Look I'll give him a call and see if he can help you guys out. I'll call you guys back in bit okay." Reggie said as he hung up.

"Do you really believe that Reggie can somehow find a way to call Ash?" BArry asked me.

"No need to worry I'm sure we can trust Reggie to find a way to reach Ash. Still it's a bit of a gamble."

"Why's that?"

"I'm willing to bet if Ash is in a city, then it's possible to call him at a Pokémon center. However, if Ash is traveling then there's no hope of contacting him."

"Do you really think Ash would allow us to borrow Infernape. I mean we would be loaning it to Paul."

"Look I traveled with Ash for over a year. I'm certain that he'll agree to help once we explain the situation to him. Besides don't forget Ash and Paul were on good terms." I said.

"I see good point. Well all we have to do is wait."

We then waited a few minutes and then we heard the phone start ringing again so we picked it up.

"Hey Reggie hows it going. Have you had any luck finding were Ash is?" I asked.

"Well professor Oak said that he was able to reach Ash. We were lucky turns out that Ash has just arrived in this city called Nimbasa city. The nurse Joy there said she could put you through to him if you want to call him. I take it you want to know the number."

"Yes please can you send me the number to call Ash."

"Right here you go." Reggie said as he sent me the number to the Pokémon center Ash was at. "Thank you so much for all your help Reggie."

"No problem. Just remember when you call the center you'll probably be talking to nose Joy first. your gonna have to tell her that you want to see Ash. And also Dawn."

"Yea what is it?" I asked Reggie.

"I just wanted to thank you for caring so much about my brother. I really appreciate it. He's never had many friends so it makes me really happy to see people who really care about Paul. So thank you."

"Uh it's no big deal. Paul actually hasn't been that much of a pain and it's kinda nice having him travel along with us." I said as I felt myself blush a little bit.

I noticed Reggie laughing. "Hey what are you laughing at?!" I asked yelling at Reggie out of embarrassment.

"Oh nothing. I just think your acting cute the way your blushing at what I said."

"Shut up." I said.

"Okay way thanks for helping Paul. See you later." Reggie said as he hung up.

"Well I guess I should call Ash now at the Nimbasa city pokemon center." I said

"shouldn't you wait a minute." Barry said

"Why should I wait?" I asked

"Well your face is still red." BArry said laughing.

"Shut up Barry." I said as I dialed the number to the Nimbasa city pokemon center.

" Hello there who are you?" Nurse Joy said as she answers the phone.

"Um excuse me is this the Nimbasa city pokemon center?" I asked her

"Why yes it is. Is there anyone you'd like to talk to?"

"Um is Ash Ketchum in the center?" I asked.

"Your in luck he just arrived a few minute ago."

"Good can you tell him that Dawn would like to talk to him."

"Of course. I'll just let him know." Nurse Joy then went and got Ash.

"Hey Dawn whats up. Man is it great to see you. So how are you doing. Have you won any contests. And were exactly are you traveling?" Ash said asking about a million questions at once.

_Glad to see he's as hyper as ever_. I thought to myself.

"Geeze your asking her about a million questions at once. What a little kid." I heard a voice say.

"Geeze cut it out Iris." Ash said. He then looked at me. "Oh Dawn these are two of my friends thats I've been traveling with since I've arrived in the Unova region. There names are Iris and Cilan." Ash then looked at me for a second.

"What are you staring at?' I asked Ash

"Why is your face red?" Ash asked.

"It's not! Your only imagining it!" I said getting annoyed. In the background I heard BArry laughing.

"Okay whatever you say. I swear your face looks red. Anyway let me introduce you to Cilan and Iris." Ash said as he let me meet his friends

Iris seemed really wild and energetic. She was from the village of dragons and her dream was to become a dragon master one day.

Cilan was once a gym leader just like Brock used to be. He also is a great cook just like Brock. His dream was to become something called a pokemon connoisseur. I had no idea what that meant though. From what I saw he seemed a little weird but then again so was Brock and Barry so I bet he's a nice guy to.

Ash had told me all about his journeys in the Unova region and the new rivals he met and his new pokemon that he caught.

"So what have you been up to?" Ash asked

I told him all the things that have been happening to me.

After I finished telling Ash about my travels, he then spoke up "Wow so you've been traveling with Paul and Barry. That sure is cool. I sure do miss all of you guys." Ash said happily.

"Actually I called you for a reason. There is a small request I have to make." I said to Ash

"Sure. What is it."

I then told Ash about Paul's problem and I then asked him if I could borrow Infernape.

"So Paul seem to be freaking out around Infernape's. No offense but that really doesn't sound like his personality." Ash said

"I know all this but he's really not doing well." I said

"I'm just having a hard time picturing Paul freaking out. He always seemed to be able to keep his cool. The only time I ever saw him loose it was when he faced Brandon." Ash said

"I know but the only way to help him is by let ting him battle along side Infernape once more. Look Ash I swear Paul has changed. He won't treat Infernape the same way he once did. " I said

"Well I'm pretty sure your telling the truth and when you put it that way it's pretty much impossible to say no."

"So you'll let Paul borrow Infernape."

"Yea sure. Besides what are friends for. Either way I hope this helps you guys." Ash said

"Thank you so much!" I said happily.

"No problem. But now I'm gonna ask a small favor from you guys." Ash said

"Well what is it?"

"How bout in about a month or two you guys come to Unova for a visit."

"Really. You want us to come visit you. That sounds awesome." I said

"Yea this sounds like a great idea." Barry said.

"Oh hey Barry I didn't know you were there." Ash said

"What how dare you not notice me. I swear I'm gonna fine you."

"I'll be sure to pay you when you visit." Ash said

"I'm willing to bet that Paul will want to have a rematch with you." I said

"And I'm defiantly gonna have a rematch with him. Man I can't wait." Ash said

"Don't you forget Ash. Me and you are gonna battle." Barry said.

"Don't worry I'm definitely gonna face you Barry."

"I hope Paul will glad to hear this." Dawn said

" I do too. Now I should probably get Infernape so I can loan him to you." Ash said. " I'll call you guys back in about five minutes." Ash said as he hung up.

"See mission success. I told you there was no need to worry." I said to Barry.

"Yea I know what you mean. It looks like we'll be able to help Paul out after all."

"I know right. All we have to do is hope that our plan works."

We waited a few more reason and then we heard the phone ring again so I picked it up.

"Good news guys I got Infernape." Ash told us.

"Good. Did you tell him that Paul would be using Infernape for a little while."

"I let Infernape know all of that. I surprised Infernape didn't seem that bothered when I explained the situation. If anything Infernape seemed eager to help." Ash told me

"That doesn't surprise me. When we saw Infernape at professor Oaks lab, Infernape seemed to have forgave Paul for what he did."

"Thats great I'm glad Infernape's forgiven Paul. To be honest though I'm not shocked either. So do you want me to send Infernape over now?"

"Yes right now would be great." I said.

"Sure no problem." Ash said as he sent over Infernape.

"All right I got him thank you so much Ash."

"Anytime. But don't forget to come visit I'm eager to battle all of you guys." Ash said eagerly.

"No need to worry I intend to." I said

"And thats when I worry the most." Ash said laughing. "Well good luck to you guys."

"And good luck to you. Make sure you win the Unova league." I said

"Don't you worry. I'll defiantly win."

"You better or I'm gonna fine you." Barry told Ash

"Fine don't worry BArry. It was awesome talking to you guys again. Oh right I should probably tell you, after you guys are finished with Infernape, make sure you return him to Oaks lab. See you in about a month." Ash said as he hung up the phone.

I then picked up Infernapes poke ball. "Well we finally got Infernape. Now all we have to do is go see Paul."

"Well what are we waiting for lets go." Barry said.

"Right." I said as we headed outside.

We saw that Paul was still training outside. "Hey Paul hows training coming along?" I asked him.

"Good I suppose. I still need to train harder though."

"Well I have some good news for you."

"Unless you found a way to beat an Infernape I doubt that."

"Well I found something just as good." I said as I held out Infernapes Pokéball.

"What is in that." Paul asked me still sounding bothered.

"Something that will fix your problems. Just remember. Your gonna owe me big time." I said with a grin.

"Just hurry up and say what you want to show me." Paul said to me.

"Fine. Man your attitude sure is bad today. Now come on out." I said as I opened the Pokéball.

Infernape had come out of it. For a minute Paul just stood there looking shocked. He clearly was surprised to see his old pokemon that he once treated like dirt.

"Is that you Infernape." Paul said looking completely shocked.

To be continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Well it looks like the plan to help Paul has started._

_BArry: This sure does look good now._

_Dawn: I wonder what will happen next time now that Paul has seen Infernape once again._

_Barry: Things better get better or someones gonna get fined._

_Dawn: I'll agree to that. Thanks for reading and please leave a review to let us know what you thought of this chapter. See you guys next time._


	12. Chapter 12 Fixing the problem

_Dawn: Hey everyone todays the day we will try to help Paul._

_Barry: We have to try our best to go all out for him._

_Dawn: I'm sure that Paul will get better._

_Barry: Well he better or I'm gonna fine him._

_Dawn: That may not be the best option. Either way we hope you enjoy this chapter. It will be told in Paul's POV first but it will later change to my POV._

_Barry: Sounds pretty simply._

_Dawn: Also something goods gonna happen in this chapter but we'll let that be a surprise. Either way let's start the story._

* * *

**Chapter 12 Fixing the problem**

(Paul's POV)

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Right in front of me was an Infernape. Just by staring at it I could tell it was Ash's Infernape.

"Infernape. Is that really you?"

"Fer." Infernape said with a grin.

"What are you doing here?" I asked still not believing what I was seeing.

"I borrowed Infernape from Ash for a bit." Dawn said

"When did you talk to Ash?"

"A little while ago. While you were training."

"So why did you want to borrow Infernape?"

"Common I think you can figure that out. I realized you were having a hard time when you saw Greta's Infernape so I thought if you battled with Infernape once again then it might help you return back to your old self." Dawn said with a smile.

"Wait so you want me to battle with Infernape once more."

"That's the plan. I figured if you were to use Infernape in a battle against Greta then maybe you would be able to let go of the guilt you feel from the way you treated Infernape." Dawn said

"What do you mean? I don't feel any guilt." I said

"Whatever you say Paul."

"So did Ash even tell Infernape about what his plan was. Besides I doubt Infernape wants to battle with me again." I said quietly

"Fer Fer Infernape." Infernape said to me almost happily.

"Listen Paul, Infernape has no problem battling with you."

"Is that true?" I said looking at Infernape.

"Fer." Infernape said as it seemed eager to help.

"Look I just can't. Why should I use Infernape?"

"Why can't you just accept that Infernape has forgiven you? Infernape knows that all you wanted was to make him stronger." Dawn told me

"Look there really is no point me using Infernape. Why should I use the very Pokémon that defeated me in the Sinnoh league? That would just be pointless." I said

"I know your lying. It's obvious that you're just saying all this because you are really feeling bad for the way you treated Infernape."

"Look Dawn just shut up. Why should I battle with Infernape? He doesn't have to forgive me. Why should I even want him to?" I said

Truth be told I did want to battle with Infernape nee more but how could I ever do that? I treated Infernape so badly that I don't deserve his forgiveness. Why on earth is he forgiving me for all I did? It just made no sense. Was it because Infernape had spent so much time with Ash. I suppose it doesn't surprise me. Ash seems to be able to change very one he faces. Even I have been there though I have always denied it and I hate to admit it.

"Paul please use Infernape just once more." Dawn said almost begging me.

"But I really don't see the point in-." I suddenly got interrupted by getting punched in the face by Infernape.

"Fer. Fer. Infernape." Infernape yelled at me

Infernape had then started screaming at me and he wouldn't stop. I'm usually not one for caring what Pokémon say but for some reason, I knew exactly what he was saying.

"You really want me to battle with you don't you?" I said to Infernape.

"Fer." Infernape said determined.

I now understood. Infernape had truly wanted to help me. I was acting pathetic. It was pathetic how I let Greta's Infernape get to me like that. I was completely different from how I usually act. That's enough, I have to get over this stupid problem and I have to start by forgiving myself the same way Infernape has forgiven me.

"Well then since all of you guys really want me to use Infernape I guess I'll agree to it." I said

"Good then."

"So whose idea was it to bring Infernape here?" I asked.

"Well you can thank Reggie for that one." Dawn said

"So you got Reggie in on all of this. Why can't he stay out of my business?"

"You should be a little more thankful that Reggie cares so much."

"Whatever." I said as I noticed Dawn and Barry were laughing a bit. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking that you're acting more like yourself already." Dawn said.

"Look cut it out." I then turned to Barry "So were you part of all of this too?" I asked Barry

"Yea he was." Dawn said

"Actually I tried to help but Dawn did almost all of the work. She was really worried about you. She even didn't train for her contest tomorrow because she really wanted to help you." Barry said

"Is that so?" I said looking at Dawn

"Well I just thought that it wouldn't be good if you had continued to act all miserable so I wanted to help." Dawn said

I then looked at her for a minute.

"Um what is it Paul?" Dawn asked

"Why are you blushing?" I asked as I noticed Dawn's face was red.

"Shut up, I'm not Blushing. It's just your imagination!" Dawn yelled

"Somehow I really doubt that." I said. I then noticed Barry was laughing. "Has she been like this all the time you two were in the Pokémon center?" I asked

"Well more or less." Barry said still laughing.

"Oh. Come on Infernape lets go train." i said as Infernape followed me into a forest.

"So when will you battle Greta?" Barry asked.

"I figure three days should be enough." I said.

"Really that seems like a lot." Dawn said.

"Well I want one full day to get used to training. And tomorrow didn't you say you had a contest."

"… OH no I forgot!" Dawn said

"I swear you act like a child. You better start training. If you want I'll help." I said.

"Yea that'd be great Paul thanks." Dawn said. "No need to worry even though I may have missed out on training I'm sure I can still win somehow."

"When you say things like that they always seem to make me worry." I said.

"Don't. Look let's just start training for the contest." Dawn said.

"Very well, let's get started." I said as we headed to the battle field to train

"So Paul how about we do dome practice for the battling part of the contest." Dawn said

"Sounds good this way I can get training in for my battle with Greta." I said.

"Good so let's begin."

"Right. I'll be using Infernape." I said as Infernape stepped up to battle.

"Since your using a fire type I think I'll use on too. Cyndaquil spotlight." Dawn said as she sent out her Cyndaquil.

"Well this hardly seems fair. Why would you use such a small Pokémon. Not only that, but your Cyndaquil is at a much lower level."

"I don't need your advice. Now let's start training. Cyndaquil use Ember." Dawn said

Cyndaquil fired its tiny flames but they didn't do much damage on Infernape.

"Okay now let's try using Flame wheel." Dawn told Cyndaquil.

"Wait for Cyndaquil to get close and use Mach Punch." I said

Cyndaquil ran toward Infernape with its body surrounded by flames but the moment it got close to Infernape, Infernape countered the Flame Wheel by punching Cyndaquil in the face and sending Cyndaquil flying backwards all the way back to Dawns feet.

"Come on Cyndaquil, I need you to get up and use Smokescreen." Dawn said as Cyndaquil rose to its feet and fired a blast of black smoke that made it almost impossible to see.

"Now you're just stalling for time." I said

"That may be true but don't forget I'm training for my contest and during a contest using moves like smokescreen will help me." Dawn told me.

"I suppose you may have a point but either way it's not gonna work. Infernape focus and wait until you see something move and when you see it move, use Mach Punch." I said

Infernape remained calm until it saw Cyndaquil's shadow move through the smoke. When Infernape saw were Cyndaquil move through the smoke, it ran up to Cyndaquil and punched it dead center in the chest. Cyndaquil went flying back once again and it again struggled to its feet.

"Don't give up Cyndaquil I know you can do it." Dawn cheered

"Cyn.. Da..Quil!" Dawns Cyndaquil screamed as it started to glow and change shape.

"No way is Cyndaquil evolving." Dawn said with excitement.

I just remained silent and watched as Cyndaquil finished evolving.

"Quilava" Dawn Cyndaquil said as it evolved into a Quilava.

"All right good job Quilava. I'm so proud of you. Now let's win this. Let's start off by using Flamethrower." Dawn said.

Quilava fired its Flamethrower and it hit Infernape with great power. It knocked Infernape back a few feet.

"Not bad. Now Infernape use Flare Blitz." I said

"Counter with Flame wheel." Dawn said

Both Pokémon collided their attacks and Infernape was stronger so it knocked Quilava back.

"Even though you just evolved your Quilava, it still doesn't mean that it will have enough power to win. There's still to big of a gap. Now use dig Infernape." I said

Infernape dug into the ground with great speed.

"We won't let you do that. Quilava use Eruption in the hole." Dawn said "Don't forget Paul Eruption is one of the most powerful fire type moves."

I just remained silent as Quilava fired its attack into the hole and its fire hit Infernape.

"All right. That had to have done some damage." Dawn said

"Come up and hit Quilava." I said

Infernape jumped out the ground and punched Quilava.

"Oh no Quilava are you okay?" Dawn said as Quilava stood back up

Infernape had looked like it had barley took any damage from the Eruption attack.

"I don't understand. Why does it look like Eruption barley did any damage?"

"You should learn how to use an attack before you use it. It may be true that Eruption is an extremely powerful attack but sadly it has a catch. Eruption grows weaker the more damage you've taken. Since your Quilava took a lot of damage then that meant that its Eruption attack was a weak one." I said

"Seriously. Darn it I had no Idea." Dawn said annoyed.

"I could tell. Well that's enough training for now." I said

"Wait what do you mean that's enough? Quilava and I can still fight."

"Even if that's true, I still think we did enough for fought now. If we continue battling then your Quilava will most likely end up getting hurt. Look there's no point in continuing our battle. Let's just rest up for now and we can train a little later." I said

"Fer. Infernape." Infernape said as it agreed with me.

"Well I guess you're right." Dawn said. Suddenly I heard a growling sound coming from Dawns stomach.

I just stared at her for a minute and then I spoke. "Well you sound hungry. Whatever let's get something to eat. You coming Barry?" I said to Dawn and Barry

"Of course I'm starving." Barry said as he started following me

"Hey wait up for me." Dawn said as she ran after us.

* * *

(Dawns POV)

We had stopped at a place that sold Burgers and we decide to eat there after we ordered our food, we decided to talk about our plans for all of our upcoming battles and contests.

"So which Pokémon are you planning on using for the contest?" Barry asked me in the middle of eating his food. (Why does he always do that? It's disgusting. Can't he show some manners and finish chewing.)

I thought for a minute and then spoke. "I think I'm going to go with Quilava and Deerling for this contest." I said

"You sure that's smart. Quilava just evolved and Deerling is still young." Paul told me

"Don't forget you used your Eevee in a battle against Mat remember?" I said

"Yea I know that but you should remember that I only did that because it was a training battle and not a battle with a frontier brain. I plan on using Eevee eventually but I'm still gonna prepare it some more." Paul told me

"Either way you have to remember that it's a lot harder to train for a contest. Don't forget I'm traveling with two trainers who only battle. It's not easy to train my guys for contest. Besides I have trained Deerling a bit and I'm sure that Deerling will do fine." I said happily

"Well then I will most certainly be looking forward to facing you in tomorrow's contest." I heard a creepy voice say.

"Who the hell just said that?" I said as I turned around with great speed only to see Conway standing behind me.

"Hello there Dawn it's good to see you." Conway said as he turned to look at Paul and Barry. "And you how are the two of you doing?"

"Hey Conway we're doing fine." Barry said. "Well most of us Paul was acting really down a little while ago." Barry said happily.

"Barry I swear. Shut up right now." Paul said

"So I take it the eggs I gave you two have hatched by now." Conway said.

"Yea they did." Paul said

"Well isn't that just fantastic. So could you two show them to me? I would really appreciate it." Conway said as he pushed his glasses up.

"Sure, no problem. Deerling come on out." I said as I sent out my Deer Pokémon.

"Well would you look at that, your egg hatched into a Pokémon that was from the Unova Region. This is defiantly an interesting discovery." Conway said as he studied my Pokémon.

"Um thanks Conway. I guess." I said acting a little creped out.

"Now would you mind showing me the Pokémon that came from your egg Paul?" Conway said to Paul.

"Look I'd rather not." Paul said

"Why not? I really want to see how your newly hatched Pokémon is doing."

"Look it's just that my Pokémon can be a bit of a-"Paul got cut off by his Pokéball opening and his Eevee coming out.

"Vee." Eevee said as it jumped on Paul's shoulder like it always does.

"As I was saying my Pokémon can be a bit of a pain. But I'm sure you can see that now." Paul said as he pointed to his Eevee.

"My my so your egg hatched into this Eevee. Isn't that interesting. And to make things even stranger it seems that your Eevee has developed a close bond with Paul." Conway said impressed. "This Is defiantly interesting."

"Could've fooled me." Paul said.

"Paul's Eevee really does care for Paul. You should see how powerful Eevee's Return attack is." I said happily.

"Is that so well then I wonder how on earth Paul's Eevee has grown to love him so much? Tell me Paul if Eevee loves you this much then you must've treated its egg with a lot of love and care. It's funny I really can't picture you doing that." Conway said.

"Believe me for the most part I didn't treat this egg well. All I did was carry the egg around for most of its time." Paul said.

"Really? You never treated the egg kindly." Conway said.

"No never."

"Liar." I said

"Dawn shut up."

"But she's right Paul don't you remember. At one point you and Dawn started acting like parents and you both raised your eggs together." Barry said

"Barry do me a favor and Shut Up." Paul said annoyed.

"And to think a few hours ago you were acting all depressed. Glad to have you back Paul." Barry said laughing.

"So Paul and Dawn both worked together to help their eggs hatch this sure is interesting." Conway said with a smirk.

"Yea but we only did it for one day and the only reason I even agreed to do it was because Dawn wouldn't shut up about it."

"Okay fine. But if you two want some advice I'd recommend that you let your Eevee and Deerling spend more time together. They both were eggs together and they both hatched at the same time so I bet they would get along great." Conway said.

"Is that true Deerling would you like to play with Eevee more?" I said happily.

"Deer." Deerling responded with a grin.

"Vee" Eevee said as it looked at Paul. You could tell it wanted to play.

"Do as you please." Paul said.

"Vee." Eevee said happily as it jumped down to play with Deerling.

"But do it after we leave this restaurant." Paul said as he put Eevee back in its Pokéball.

"Deer." Deerling said sadly.

"I'm sorry Deerling but Paul's right you two can play together after we leave here." I said as I put Deerling into its Pokéball. "Wow they sure seemed like they would like to spend time together. It's kind of cute." I said

"It's no surprise really. They spent almost their whole lives together so it's naturally no surprise. But there might be another reason why they get along so well." Conway said

"Really what's the reason?" I asked wondering what the other reason was.

"Well to be honest they say Pokémon reflect the personalities of their trainers. Perhaps you two both enjoy each other's company and perhaps you both enjoy spending time together. I can't help but wonder that." Conway said with a creepy smirk

"Defiantly Not!" Paul and I said at the same time.

"Well isn't this interesting. It seems like you two are blushing why on earth would you do that?"

"We are not blushing." Paul and I said simultaneously

"Him even though you both say that. Either way I'll just be going. Good luck in the contest tomorrow Dawn. I'm sure it will be a great match." Conway said as he walked away.

"Well that sure was creepy." I said to Paul and Barry when Conway is out of sight.

"That idiot really needs to learn to shut up." Paul said.

"You two were blushing though." Barry said laughing as Paul glared at him.

"Well so it looks like I might have to face Conway in the next contest."

"Looks that way. Don't forget Conway has a lot of tricks and on top of that he knows all of your battling styles. However don't forget that you're going to be using two Pokémon that Conway isn't aware of their current strengths. That's why you should use the two you originally planned to use." Paul told me.

"Yea I guess you're right. But I'm still nervous." I said.

"In that case then after we all finish eating, then we will train some more." Paul told me.

"Well okay. I suppose that sounds like a good idea but no using Infernape. I can't get any training done if I'm battling it because of the gap in the power." Dawn told me.

"Fine. When you're using Deerling, I'll just use Eevee to battle you. That way we both get training."

"Great thanks a bunch Paul. By the way which Pokémon are you planning to use against Greta?" I asked as I was curious on which three guys Paul was planning to use.

"I'm gonna be using Hinchkrow, Hariyama, and Infernape." Paul told me.

"Wow with those three I don't believe you can lose." I said happily.

"We'll see."

"Wow I never even knew Paul had a Hariyama." Barry said.

"I only saw him use it once before. He used it in a battle against Brandon." I said

"Cool so how did it do."

"It got creamed. It stood no chance at all. But then again he was battling against one of Brandon's Reggie's so it's not like he was beaten by a weak Pokémon." I said

"Well either way it's still cool that he has one." Barry said

"It really isn't. Now are you guys done eating so we can get back to training?" Paul said

"Yea I'm done." I said as I got up.

"Huh but you still haven't eaten half of your burger." Barry said.

"You know Conway always seems to creep me out so much that he makes me lose my appetite." I said

"Well in that case can I finish your food?" Barry said.

"No you can't because we need to get training and I won't have you slowing us down." Paul said before I had chance to answer.

"Hey come on, I'm still hungry."

"Deal with it we need to prepare. You should to or else you'll lose your gym battle." Paul warned Barry.

"Fine let's go." Barry said annoyed.

The two of them left and I followed them closely behind.

For the rest of that day we had continued to train hard for the rest of the day. Even though I had started training a bit late I knew I was lucky to have Paul and Barry as my friends. I knew that I was going to do good in the contest tomorrow. We even developed a battle strategy for the contest. I was really exacted for my contest tomorrow.

I was also glad that Paul was returned to the way he used to be. I was glad that Paul was back to being his old self and that he no longer seemed bothered by Infernapes anymore, I knew our plan had worked.

Paul it's good to have you back. I thought happily.

To be continued

* * *

_Dawn: Yea it sure is good to have you back to your old self Paul._

_Paul: Yea I suppose but it doesn't matter._

_Barry: What are you talking about? It's great to have you back to normal._

_Paul: Yea sure but anyway shouldn't we be focusing on Dawns next contest._

_Dawn: Yup no need to worry. I can't wait to enter it next chapter._

_Barry: If you lose I'll fine you._

_Paul: Just make sure to win._

_Dawn: I'll try my best. Thanks to everyone for reading this current chapter and the story so far. We would really appreciate any Reviews. See you all next time and wish me luck in my next contest._


	13. Chapter 13 Dawn's Second Contest

_Before I start this chapter, I'd like to let everyone know something. A lot of people have been telling me that I should have someone look over my work because I've made many Grammar mistakes. I looked back at a bunch of my old chapters and I realized that there were some major mistakes. So I finally got someone to edit my work._

_I just wanna quickly give credit and thank Maverick210. He looked over my work and made some really helpful changes. I think he made the chapter a lot better and he fixed many problems people have been pointing out. I'm not saying this chapter is perfect. I highly doubt it is but I just want to let everyone know that I did get someone to look over my work and make changes. He also writes his own stores on Fanfiction so check them out._

_Now bit of bad news though. He said that he couldn't look over any other chapters because he's really busy. So I am going to need to get someone to actually be a Beta Reader. If you know anyone or if you would like to become the Beta Reader for this story send me a PM or leave it in as an review. If you become a Beta Reader all I would ask is that you help check for spelling mistakes/grammer problems and also that let me know if a chapter needs detail and let me know how I should add it. If you become my Beta REader I'd be very grateful and I'd defiantly mention that you beta read the story._

_Anyway sorry for wasting your time. Please read and review and I hope you enjoy this chapter. With all that said lets begin the new chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 13 Dawn's Second Contest**

(Dawn's POV)

It was finally the day of my second contest in the Kanto Region. Nothing could begin to describe how excited I was for it. The morning of the contest day I spent in the bathroom, preparing myself for the event that would take place later in the day.

"Alright, today's the big day." I said to myself as I combed out my hair. "It's time for my second Kanto ribbon. All I have to do is follow the plan I created and this should be easy."

"Hey are you almost done in there?" Paul called out.

"No Paul. I need to get ready and that takes time." I replied.

"If it took this long for all of us to get ready, we would never be able to leave here. You need to hurry up." Paul insisted.

"No I don't. The contest doesn't start until tomorrow afternoon. The last one I entered started early in the morning so I didn't have time to get ready. But since I have so much extra time for this one, I intend to look good on the stage." I explained to Paul. "Wouldn't you want to look nice if you were going to have an important battle?"

"No, I wouldn't care at all." Paul replied as if it were prepared. "Who cares about how a trainer looks. All that matters is if you are able to destroy your opponent." Paul told me.

"Well it's different for a coordinator. For us, style and elegance are important." I shot back.

"Give it up Paul. Girls are just weird like that." Barry interjected before Paul could say anything else.

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that. Girls are a pain." Paul agreed.

_God. These two are really asking for it. They have no idea how much work goes into preparing for a contest. _I thought to myself.

"Don't forget guys, there are a lot of guys who enter contests too." I pointed out as I smirked at myself in the mirror. Let's see what they have to say this time.

"You mean guys like Kenny. Yeah great point, since we all know that he's right in the head." Paul muttered sarcastically, just loud enough for me to hear it.

"Hey, cut it out. Kenny is my friend. Even if he's a bit of a dork." I said.

"A bit?" Paul said with a snort. "He's such a dork that even Barry is calm compared to him."

"That's right." Barry said. I could easily picture Barry nodding his head like an idiot before he realized what Paul had said. "Hey, wait a minute. What do you mean by even Barry? That's it, I'm gonna fine you!"

"You know, girls might take a while to get ready, but boys are always loud and annoying. It was always like that when I was with Ash and Brock and the two of you are exactly the same." I said. "If fact, the two of you are so loud that I can't focus on getting ready."

"Barry, be quiet so that she can focus. Then we'll be able to leave." Paul said.

"What, me!?" Barry exclaimed loudly. There was a loud thud from outside the bathroom following his shout, but after that they were silent.

I couldn't help but smile at myself in the mirror. Even though Paul could be really cold from time to time, he was still pretty easy to fool. Now that the two of them were quiet, it was easy to focus in getting ready for the contest.

It took some time, but I finally finished fixing up. When I exited the bathroom, I saw that Paul and Barry were watching the television.

"So are you ready to you?" Barry asked kindly as he looked my way.

"Yep!" I said with a nod, then I grinned at them. "You gotta admit, I look good right?"

I had put in a lot of time curling my bangs so that framed my face while the rest of my hair was pulled back into a short pony tail. I noticed that Paul glanced at my, so I purposely made eye contact with him to force a response from him.

"I see no different what so ever." Paul stated.

"Ugh, just forget it." I muttered, turning away from the two of them. "Let's go."

"That sounds good. Anything is better than watching this pathetic dvd." Paul said as he motioned to the television.

"What are you guys watching anyway?" I asked, looking toward the screen. On it I saw a Charizard napping quite peacefully on a battlefield with a Pikachu standing on the other side the field, prepared to engage it in battle. "Why the heck is that Charizard asleep?"

"Remember the dvd of the Indigo League I got for Christmas?" Barry asked.

"Oh right. So who's battling right now? That trainer with the Charizard must be really bad." I said as the camera moved from the battlefield to the trainer who was shouting commands at this Charizard, trying to get it to follow his commands.

Unfortunately I recognized this trainer. It was Ash. It was pretty hard to believe that such a seasoned trainer had this problem, and apparently my expression said the same thing.

Barry burst into a fit of laughter at the expression of disbelief.

"Was this before the Sinnoh League?" I asked, getting a nod from Paul.

"Still, it's pretty hard to believe that someone like this made it to the top four in the Sinnoh League." Barry commented once he finished laughing.

"That means he improved a lot since the Indigo League." I said, trying to defend my friend.

"It's still pathetic." I heard Paul say. "How on earth did this guy manage to beat me?"

"I was starting to wonder that too." Barry said before he looked toward me. "Next time Ash and Paul are together, remind me to fine both of them."

"Shut up." Paul cut in.

"Come on guys, be a litter nicer to Ash. Wasn't that his first League?" I said, trying to reason them. But I made the mistake of glancing at the tv screen again where I saw Ash angrily shouting orders at his Charizard who remained asleep. "Actually…your right. This is pretty sad."

I hated to be mean to Ash, but watching him jump around like a Primeape while yelling at his Charizard was just embarrassing.

"Shouldn't we be leaving right now?" Paul asked.

"Right. We should get going now." I said.

We then left our room and the Pokémon center. From there we made our way over the Contest Hall.

* * *

When we arrived, we had walked over the desk in the lobby so that I could register myself for the contest.

"Excuse me, I would like to register for the contest today. Did I make it in time?" I asked politely.

"Yes, you're in time to register." The receptionist replied kindly. "I'm going to need your name please."

"My name is Dawn." I replied as she typed the name in to the computer in front of her.

"Okay, you're all set to go. Be backstage in about an hour. If your friends are going to watch, just tell them to use the staircase over there to take them over the viewing area." She explained.

"Thank you." I said with a bright smile.

"So what do we do for an hour?" Barry asked.

"No idea. I guess we can wait here until it show time." I suggested.

"That's sounds fine." Paul said with a nod of agreement.

"Hey Dawn, is that you?" A voice called out. Turning around, I spotted a head of orange hair that belonged to none other than Zoey. She came jogging over to me, waving one hand. "Hey what's up?"

"No way, it's Zoey. It's so great to see you again!" I exclaimed as she stopped in front of me.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to Kanto?" She asked.

"It was sort of unexpected. I came here traveling with Paul and Barry. I decided to enter the contests here while I travel with them." I explained.

"That's great, me too." Zoey said before she looked at my traveling companions. "So why is she traveling with you two of all people?"

I could tell that the question directed at Paul, although he didn't seemed to take her question too happily.

"Who are you?" He asked in his usual manner.

"You seriously don't remember me. We met once in Snowpoint City. I saw you battle Brandon the Pyramid King." Zoey replied, trying to jog his memory. Although she had no idea what she was getting into.

"No idea."

"Forget it jerk." She mumbled as she returned her gaze to me. Unfortunately Paul wasn't finished.

"Yeah, I'ma jerk for forgetting someone's name. Tell me how that's my fault."

"Just quit fighting you guys." I cut in before Zoey could respond. It did seem like a lot of people had a problem with Paul, but at the same time it also seemed like he was responsible for a lot of conflicts he creates with people.

"Fine, guess I'll get over it." Zoey mumbled.

"So are you entering today's contest Zoey?" I asked. "If you are, I'm definitely going to beat you."

"Sorry Dawn. I'm taking a bit of break right now." Zoey replied while rubbing the back of her neck.

"Why not?"

"Well I feel like I should spend some time training right now." Zoey explained. "I got two ribbons on a winning streak, but your friend Kenny managed to beat me so I decided to spend some time training."

"I see." I said. Practice makes perfect after all. "But Kenny managed to beat you? That's kind of hard to believe."

"I know. He's come a long way since the Grand Festival back in Sinnoh." Zoey said. "I'm surprised with how much he's improved since then. I wouldn't take him to lightly if I were you?"

"No need to worry. Kenny's not the only one who's improved since the Grand Festival." I declared. I've been training for a while now and I no I've improved. There's no way I could lose to anyone right now.

"Well best of luck to you. By the way, how many ribbons do you have?" Zoey asked me.

"So far I only have one, but after this contest I'll have two."

"That's good. But I'll warn you now, don't become overconfident." Zoey warned me. "That will cause your own defeat."

"There's nothing to worry about. I know that."

"And besides, you'll have to beat me to do that." A voice said. I knew this voice. It belonged to Conway. Glancing around, I discovered that he was directly behind, which caught me off guard.

"Why do you always sneak up on people?" I asked him. Conway readjusted his glasses as he always did.

"Now now, I just wanted to say hello." He replied.

"Couldn't you have done that like a normal person? There's no need to scare me every time we meet."

"I am terribly sorry. Either way, best of luck with the contest today." Conway said as he left us.

"Um, who exactly is this guy?" Zoey asked me.

"Just some guy I met back in Sinnoh. He decided to give contests a try so he came to Kanto." I explained.

"Is he strong?"

"Yeah. He almost beat Ash at the Sinnoh League. And Paul and I had a really tough battle with him on the boat ride to Kanto too." I noted, realizing that Conway deserved more credit then he received.

"Sounds like he could be a problem today." Zoey stated. "But I'm sure your do fine."

"I hope so." I said, feeling a heart begin to speed up.

"Don't let it get to you Dawn. Just remain calm. If you get all flustered during the battle, your nerves will get the better of you and you'll lose." Paul told me. It seemed unnatural to get some council from Paul, but he was an experienced trainer, and I'm sure he knew what he was talking about.

I took a deep breath and thanked Paul for the help.

"Yeah, you're right Paul. Thanks for helping me calm down."

Even though I accepted what he said, Paul remained silent.

"Well, it looks like you have become a bit nicer. And surprisingly you're good at giving advice." Zoey said, giving Paul a small grin. "To be honest I'm shocked."

Paul gave her a stare, then he started to walk away, heading toward the staircase that would take him to the seating area.

"Hey Paul, where are you going?" I asked him as he continued walking.

"I'm going to get a seat. If I stay here I'm going to get a headache." Paul stated as he continued toward the staircase, disappearing into the small corridor.

"I suppose I should go to so that we don't lose him." Barry said as he went off to pursue Paul.

"Well those two an…interesting pair of people to travel with. Certainly not the first two I would pick to travel with." Zoey commented, gaining a laugh from me.

"I know what you mean. Half a year ago I would said the same thing. But they've kind of grown on me." I replied, recalling the numerous crazy things I've witnessed during my travels with Paul and Barry.

"So how has been traveling with Paul. He hasn't given you a hard time, has he?" She asked. I shook my head with a small smile.

"As shocking as it may sound, I've actually been having a lot of fun with him. It was a lot of fun when I was with Ash and Brock, but it was completely different experience." I explained. "Ash and Brock were really helpful and supportive. Paul and Barry are the same, they just have their own little weird way of being helpful."

"I'm glad." Zoey said. "So what Pokemon are you going to use in the contest."

"Well for the appeal round I was going to use Ambipom and Togekiss. Then for the battle rounds I was going to use Quilava and Deerling to let them get some experience." I explained.

"That sounds good. Good luck Dawn. I'll be watching so make sure you win." Zoey said, waving to me as she dashed off to the stairway that would lead to the stands.

I stood there was for a moment once Zoey was gone, debating on whether to head backstage early or not.

"Well, it looks like you decided to show up for this contest." Yet another voice called out to me. Looking around, I found Maylene walking toward with her usual grin.

"Maylene!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping that I would find Paul to see if you cheered him up." She replied.

"Yup, he's back to his usual jerky self." I said, joking around which gained a laugh from Maylene.

"Great. I came here to cheer for you now, so you better win." Maylene said, giving me a thumbs up.

"I plan on it." I said, returning the gesture.

Man, I'm lucky to have so many great friends that want to see me succeed. There was no way I could lose now.

* * *

Once I was backstage, I changed into my pink contest gown. After I finished training, I decided to take a look around backstage to see what the other participants looked like. I even found Conway, although he was dressed in his normal clothes. Weird…

"Hey Conway, it helps if you put on something nice for the contests." I said, approaching him.

"Well there isn't any rule that says I have to. Besides, I'd rather show my style through my strategies rather than through appearance." Conway replied.

"Whatever you say." I muttered. Geez, he could be so weird sometime. Then Lillian announced the start of the contest, drawing everyone's attention to the Tv screen that was mounted on the wall.

"First, allow me to introduce our spectacular judges. First, we have our very own Nurse Joy!" Lillian said, motioning to the pink haired woman.

"Hello there." She replied, waving to the audience.

"Then we have Mr. Contesta!" Lillian went on.

"It's great to be here." The older gentleman replied.

"And last we have Mr. Sukizo." Lillian finished.

"Let's all how that this contest is remarkable." He said with smile.

"And now let see the sixteen coordinators that will be participating today!" Lillian shouted, motioning to the large monitor on the stadium wall that displayed the faces of the coordinators that would be competing for the coveted Saffron ribbon. The crowd roared as the faces were put into the order for the appeal round.

Watching from the Tv screen backstage, I could see that I would be fifth, and Conway would be eighth.

* * *

It wasn't too long before my number was called for the appeal round, so I went out onto the stage. As I stepped out onto the stage, the cheers of the audience seemed to increase ten fold in terms of volume.

As I walked toward the center of the stage, I looked around for my friends. It took a me a while to find them since they were near the middle of the audience, mixed in with everyone else.

I noticed that Barry was pointing and waving to me which seemed to draw a lot of attention from everyone else. So embarrassing.

"And now we have number five, Dawn from Twinleaf Town." Lillian said, introducing me to the fans.

"Ambipom, Togekiss!Spotlight!" I shouted as I tossed their Poke-balls into the air. The two spheres opened up with a torrents of multi colored stars marking the entrance of the two Pokemon. "Togekiss, fly up into the air and fire several Aura Spheres at Ambipom."

Togekiss followed my command perfectly, launching a volley of spheres down at Ambipom who was waiting for my next command. As the orbs of raw energy sailed down toward Ambipom, I remained silent, timing the approach.

"Ambipom, destroy them with Focus Punch!" I hollered.

Ambipom went down on all fours, raising its tails. The fists at the ends of its tails gained a bright glow, then Ambipom lashed out at the Aura Sphere's destroying each of them with one blow. Each of them exploded on contact, creating a blast of dazzling sparkles that flew upward.

"Alright Togekiss, come down here and let Ambipom get on her back!" I said next, motioning for it to start its decent to the field. Togekiss slowed down as it closed in on Ambipom, but Ambipom was quick to jump onto its back without having Togekiss stop. "Now Togekiss, start heading back up into the air!"

Togekiss then began to rise up again.

"Ambipom, use Swift!" I shouted. Ambipom swung its tails, unleashing a torrent of small golden stars that filled the air in front of them, blocking Togekiss' path. "Now Togekiss, break right through that with Sky Attack!"

The end result was just like we had practiced. The moment Togekiss broke through the thick layer of stars in front of them, all of them burst in mid air, leaving layer of golden sparkles to fall upon the audience. Both Togekiss and Ambipom came down and landed beside me as the crowd applauded for our performance.

"That performance was definitely fantastic." Lillian said as I left the stage for the next contestant to come up. After that I watched everyone else's performance until it was time for Conway to go up.

* * *

After Conway was called up, I saw him walk up onto the stage. Strangely enough, he went on stage carrying a bunch of bricks.

"Heracross, Slowking, let's go!" Conway said as he sent out the two Pokemon he would be using for his appeal.

I remember those Pokemon. He used them during the Tag Battle Tournament back in Sinnoh.

"Heracross, destroy these bricks with Brick Break!" Conway said as he hurled a few of the objects into the air.

Heracross destroyed the bricks with easy using its great strength. "Slowking, fire a Water Pulse at Heracross!"

Slowking quietly charged up a sphere of water which it fired at Heracross.

"Heracross, knock it back with Megahorn!" Conway said as the attack approached the bug type Pokemon. Heracross raised his horn which began to glow with a bright white light before it knocked back the Water Pulse with ease, sending it toward Slowking twice as fast as before.

_What could Conway be planning? If he doesn't act fast, then Slowking will get hit by its own attack, and that will be a huge loss of points_. I thought

"Slowking, use Psychic to stop the Water Pulse." Conway called out suddenly. Just before the Water Pulse hit Slowking, it was halted by Slowking's Psychic which held it in place. "Now Heracross, destroy it with Megahorn!"

Heracross leaped into the air over the sphere of the water where it slammed its horn down on the attack. This resulted in the attack exploding, creating a light, refreshing drizzle that fell upon the entire crowd.

Conway then recalled his Pokemon, leaving with his usual smirk as the crowd gave him a cheer. For a beginner, Conway wasn't half bad. He would definitely make it to the next round.

* * *

After everyone else had taken part in the appeal round, Lillian directed everyone's attention to the monitor where they were show the eight coordinators that would take part in the battle rounds. One by one, the faces were shown as to who would had advanced to the next round.

My face was the third one to appear. Conway's was the seventh.

"Yes, we did it!" I said happily.

"So did I." Conway said as he appeared next to me, although to be honest, I was expecting it this time.

Then the pictures were paired off to begin the battles. Conway's picture was the first one to show up while mine was last. That would mean that if we planned to battle each other, both of us would have to make it to the finals.

To be honest, making it to the finals was a lot easier than I though it would be. All my opponents were easily defeated by the combinations I had worked on for so long with Quilava and Deerling. Conway also won his matches, although most of them were filled with close calls. But for a rookie he did an excellent job. Not that I would ever tell him that face to face.

* * *

Before I knew it, the two of us were standing on the stage, preparing to face off in the finals.

"Well, it looks like I'll finally have the chance to face you Dawn." Conway said. "So far everything has gone according to my calculations."

"So you planned for us to make it to the finals?" I asked. I should've expected something like this from Conway though. "Well that sounds like something I would hear from you."

"And now we're going to see the final round of the Saffron city Pokemon Contest!" Lillian declared. "We have Conway and Dawn. Which of these two trainers will be victorious? Now let's start the clock!"

"Quilava, Deerling! Spotlight!" I shouted as I released my two Pokemon on the field.

"Some interesting choices Dawn. As for me, I some new surprises too. Dusknoir, Octillery, come on out!" Conway said.

I knew he had a Dusknoir, but Octillery was definitely new. What could Conway be planning by using a brand new Pokemon.

"Quilava, let's start out big with Eruption!" I yelled.

The flames on Quilava's head and bottom increased in size before it unleashed a large quantity of flames from its mouth at Conway's Pokemon. Neither Octillery nor Dusknoir escaped being hit but the attack. Glancing up at the score board, I could see that Conway had lost a decent amount of points from this move. "Deerling, let's follow up with Energy Ball!"

Deerling fired its attack at Octillery who was moving about slowing in the flames. The attack hit Octillery who failed to see it coming, dealing some major damage because of the type advantage.

"Good job!" I said happily. Let's see Conway match that.

"Octillery use Soak on all pokemon here including Dusknoir." Conway called out suddenly.

"Wait, what exactly is Soak?" I asked out loud as Octillery fired a small orb of water at all of the Pokemon the stage.

"Soak is a move that will make any Pokemon a water type." Conway replied in a matter of fact tone. "Now Dusknoir, use Curse."

Dusknoir gained a dark red glow as it hovered in place for a moment. Then the red aura faded as Dusknoir growled. It seemed as though Dusknoir had grown slightly larger.

"Curse?" I said. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember what it does.

"Well Curse is a move that changes depending on a Pokemon's type. Normally Curse would take away a portion of Dusknoir's health to put a curse on one of your Pokemon. But since its type changes to water, the move changed as well." Conway explained. "Now Cruse increases its attack and defense but lowers its speed. But you already know what I'm going to do to fix that. Dusknoir, use Trick Room."

A clear box formed around the field, locking everyone inside it.

"I was afraid of this." I muttered. This was exactly what I was trying to avoid.

"You should be. Now I can freely raise Dusknoir's attacks, and now that all of your Pokemon a water types…Dusknoir, use Thunder Punch!"

Dusknoir rushed over to Quilava, raising its electrically enhanced fist which it slammed into Quilava's torso, getting a shout from it as it knocked it away. I lost a lot of point from that hit.

"Don't forget Conway, I also have grass type moves! Deerling, use Energy Ball!" I said with a smile as Deerling launched its attack. Dusknoir didn't take the grass type attack too kindly, but it still shook of the damage and remained strong.

"Not bad Dawn. But that's no big deal. Octillery, hit them with hard with Gunk Shot!" Conway commanded.

Octillery created a bag of garbage in front of it which it fired directly at Deerling, but I wasn't going to let that attack hit.

"Quilava, counter with Flamethrower!" I said. Quilava quickly intercepted the attack with a strong blast of flames. The Flamethrower pierced right through the Gunk Shot and hit Octillery. This caused a significant drop in points for Conway since I successfully countered his attack.

"Dusknoir, hit Quilava with Thunder Punch again!" Conway ordered. Dusknoir appeared beside Quilava, smashing its fist into its torso which knocked Quilava backward.

"Come on Quialva, you have to get up!" I said as Quilava struggled to return to its feet. I knew Conway would be hard to beat, but he completely dragged me out of my forte and into his.

I_ needed to act fast if I was going to beat him or else I would certainly lose. But how?_

_To be continued_

* * *

_Dawn: Uh this doesn't look good for me._

_Paul: You need to stay calm otherwise your doomed._

_Barry: Yea stay calm and things will go fine._

_Dawn: Yea I guess your right._

_Paul: Well good I suppose._

_Dawn: Thank you for reading this chapter and thanks once again to Maverick210 for his editing. Please leave a review to let us know what you thought of todays chapter and if the detail and grammar had improved. Thank you all for reading and we'll see you next time._


	14. Chapter 14 Dangerous Battles

_Before I start this chapter I would just like to say a few things. First thing I want to say is that this chapter has been Beta Read by Jackpot 2. I think he did a good job so I hope you guys think so too._

_Also in case any of you haven't heard yet, there has been an announcement from Nintendo saying that Pokémon will realize it's new games Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. They are said to have some the new VI gen Pokémon so I'm really excited about that. I personally think they look really cool and although many people I know have been making fun of the starter, I think they look really cool._

_That's all I wanted to let you guys know about. Please read and Review and I hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 14 Dangerous Battles**

(Dawns POV)

I was in the middle of my battle with Conway and so far things weren't looking good. So far Conway had continued to make good moves with his strange combinations.

_Darn it. It seems like every time I make a good move, Conway has a better one. I gotta calm down; otherwise there truly is no chance I'll win. 'But just how exactly am I supposed to beat this guy'?_ I thought.

"Dusknoir use Shadow Ball!" Conway said.

"Dodge it both of you!" I said as Quilava and Deerling both jumped out of the way. That coast Conway some points but he was still ahead of me.

"Not bad but can you dodge this one? Octillery use Bullet Seed on Deerling!" Conway said as his Octillery hit Deerling with a barrage of seeds.

"Darn it. Just how am I supposed to win this battle? At the rate things are going it looks hopeless." I said as I started to believe that this was hopeless.

"Don't quit yet Dawn!" I heard Barry's voice cheer for me. I looked up and saw him cheering hard to help support me.

"Barry's right. Come on Dawn where's that fighting spirit you always have? This isn't like you!" I heard Maylene yell.

"Don't forget you almost beat me in the finals at the Grand festival. There's no way you can lose to someone who's new to contests!" Zoey cheered.

I stared at all of them. They all wanted me to win. I just had to win, but how was I going to do that.

"You already know how to stop that Dusknoir's Thunder Punch. You saw it get stopped once before remember!" Paul told me. I couldn't believe that even he was trying to help.

'I know how to stop the attack? What exactly does Paul mean by that? The only time any of Dusknoir's attacks got stopped was when… of course!' I thought to myself as I came up with a plan.

"Whatever you're planning, it's too late now. Dusknoir use Thunder Punch on Deerling!" Conway said.

"That's not gonna happen! Quilava get in Dusknoir's way and catch Dusknoir's fist by biting down on it!" I said

Dusknoir went to finish off my Deerling, but Quilava got in the way and bit down on Dusknoir's Thunder Punch, stopping Dusknoir's attack.

"What?! How on earth did it do that?" Conway said shocked

"I had a feeling that would work. After all it worked when Ash tried it."

"Well you may have stopped one of Dusknoir's hands but I still have a free one to hit you with another Thunder Punch." Conway said as his Dusknoir took its second hand and got ready to punch Quilava.

"Not gonna happen! Quilava stop Dusknoir's attack by using Flamethrower!" I said as Quilava fired a Flamethrower at point blank range, dealing damage to Dusknoir and sending it flying back.

"Interesting, and how exactly did you come up with that plan?" Conway asked

"I'm not gonna lie to you. I owe it all to Ash and Paul. I learned a few things from always watching them battle. Now Deerling lets finish Dusknoir off by using Jump Kick." I said as Deerling ran up and went to kick Dusknoir with great power.

"Nice try Dawn but did you really forget? Dusknoir is it a Ghost-Type and Fighting-Type moves have no effect on Ghost-Type Pokémon." Conway said confidentially.

"Really are you sure about that Conway? Last time I checked you used Soak to turn Dusknoir into a Water-Type. Looks like your strategy is starting to backfire." I said

"No!" Conway said, as he realized his own mistake.

Deerling then hit Dusknoir with great force. Deerling kicked Dusknoir so hard that Dusknoir got sent flying backwards and it got knocked into a wall, which caused Dusknoir to faint. This also made Conway lose major points.

"Dusknoir return. Well I never thought you'd be smart enough to turn my own plan against me. Well then let's continue Octillery use Bullet Seed once more!" Conway said.

"Deerling, counter the move with Energy Ball!" I said

The Energy Ball went straight through all of the seeds and hit Octillery dead on.

"Octillery use Octazooka on Quilava!" Conway said, as Octillery hit Quilava dead center with a blob of ink that was fired with great speed.

"Quilava get up and fire Flamethrower!" I said

"Use Bullet Seed Octillery!" Conway said as our attacks collided and they cancelled each other out.

Suddenly we heard the timer go off. "That's it! Time is up! Let's look at the score to see who our winner is!" Lillian said as she looked up at the screen. Conway and I did same. Our scores were close but- "The winner of this contest is… Dawn!" Lillian yelled as she pointed to me.

'I did it. I won! It sure was close though.' I thought. I was really relieved that I was able to win the contest. Things started to go wrong but in the end I had won.

Conway then turned and walked away. "This will be a good chance to collect more data." Conway said as he turned around and left the stage. Lillian then walked up to me.

"Congratulations on winning the contest. Here's your Ribbon." Lillian said as she handed me my second Ribbon.

"Thank you." I said as I took it. I stared at it happily. "Yes, I got the Saffron city Ribbon!" I said happily as I held the Ribbon up. I then heard the whole crowd clapping. I then put the Ribbon in my case and I left the stage.

* * *

After the contest had ended we all went back to our rooms and went to bed for the night. The next day we all got together at the Pokémon Center, and talked about how everything went.

"Man you sure had all of us worried yesterday." Zoey said with a grin.

"Yea, but I told you there was no need to worry." I replied happily.

"You may have been right but it sure was a close match." Maylene said.

"I know what you mean. This match sure was a hard one. Either way I ended up winning and now I have my second Contest Ribbon now." I said.

"By the way what ever happened to Conway? I didn't see him after he left." Zoey said.

"I think he just left. After the Contest had ended, I went back stage to see Conway and to tell him that he did really good in the Contest, but when I got there Conway was already gone, and there was no sign of him. I wonder where he went."

"Knowing him he probably left almost immediately after it ended. I bet he went to another city." Paul said

"Yea I suppose your right. So our next stop is the Battle Arena so you can battle Greta right Paul?" I said

"That should be the plan." Paul said

"No way! That is so unfair!" Barry yelled as he stood up

"What exactly is wrong Barry?" I asked wondering why Barry just yelled.

"It just isn't fair! I want to go have my gym battle right now! I'm full of momentum after your contest! Common you guys have to let me go!" Barry begged

"Then go challenge the Gym." Paul said

"Huh, seriously? You don't mind?" Barry said sounding happy

"I really don't care. Don't forget I'm not battling until tomorrow. So go on and have your stupid Gym Battle." Paul said.

"Aw man this is great! We'll see what I am waiting for! I better get going!" Barry said as he ran out of the center and headed for the Gym.

"He knows were still here right?" Zoey asked.

"Yea, he's weird like that." I said.

"He also acts like he's a child. Believe me when I say he can be a huge pain." Paul told Zoey.

"Yea, and you're really one to talk." I said.

"The feelings likewise." Paul told me.

We all started laughing at what Paul and I said. (Paul didn't laugh though. He never does).

"If you ask me I think all three of you have your own share of problems, but it also seems like you three all get along well and that you are all a big help to each other." Maylene said with a grin.

"You sure do have a point there." I said.

"I suppose you may be right." Paul said.

"What?!" We all said as we stared at Paul.

"Why are you all staring at me?"

"We're just shocked you actually agreed with us." I said.

"Shut up." Paul said as he stood up and started to leave the Pokémon center.

"Are you going to cheer Barry on?" I asked

"I'm sure that he will be fine without me there. I need to go train some more for my battle with Greta." Paul said.

"Normally I'd say that you should stay and watch Barry, but with a battle as big as yours coming up I actually agree with you, so good luck with your training."

"Whatever. I better get training." Paul said as he left the Pokémon center.

"Well I suppose I should go to the Gym and cheer Barry on." I said.

"Sounds like a good idea. Hey do you mind if we come along?" Zoey asked.

"I think that's a great idea." I said "Do you wanna come too Maylene?" I said

"Yea sure. I'm always in the mood to see a battle." Maylene said

"Great. So let's all start heading to the Gym before we miss all of the good parts." I said

"Definitely. Let's hurry up and go then." Maylene said

After that we all left the Pokémon center and went to watch Barry's gym battle.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

I had arrived at the Gym, but the big problem was that the Gym wasn't just a Gym. It was also a big building that had many rooms in it. For some weird reason every room I ran passed had some people in it. That wasn't the weird part though; the weird part was that they all seemed to be trying to do some weird kind of exercise that involved using their minds. (Definitely weird) Either way I decided to keep running around this place.

After I came, I ran for about 10 minutes before I came to a stop. "This place is like a maze. I have no idea if I'm even going in the right direction." I said as I punched the wall. "If someone doesn't show me were the Gym is then I swear that I'm gonna have to fine someone!" I yelled.

"Are you okay kid?" I heard a girl's voice say. I suddenly turned to see a girl wearing all red and who had long green hair.

"Um yea, I'm fine. I'm just trying to find out where the Gym is in this place." I said a bit embarrassed. I hope she didn't see all that. If she did I swear Paul and Dawn will never let me live it down.

"Oh so you're looking for the Gym. Well then you're in luck, I happen to know the way and I'd be glad to show you the way." She said with a grin.

"Really?! That's great! Thanks a bunch!"

"No problem. My name is Sabrina by the way. Who are you?" Sabrina asked.

"My name's Barry." I said as Sabrina started to show me the way to the Gym. "By the way, how powerful is the Gym Leader and what is she like?" I asked.

"The Gym Leader here is a very powerful trainer who uses Psychic-Type Pokémon. As for what she's like…well she's a very nice trainer now." Sabrina said as she looked down and she seemed bothered by something.

"Hey is something wrong? What do you mean by saying that she's nice now? Was she a mean person before?"

"Well as a matter of fact she was once a monster. The Gym Leader has always had these psychic powers and once a long time ago, she would always use them for evil. Whenever she defeated an opponent, she would turn them into her dolls." Sabrina told me.

"Huh, that doesn't even seem possible."

"I know it may be hard to believe but it's the truth. She would act like this for quite some time, but then someone changed her."

"Really? Who did changed her and how?"

"Well you see there was this time when a boy by the name of Ash Ketchum came and challenged her Gym. She ended up kidnapping his friends and she turned them into her dolls. However one day Ash returned with a Haunter and he challenged her to a battle. The Haunter was able to make the Gym Leader laugh and because of that Ash was able to make the Gym Leader become a kindhearted trainer. Of course she still feels regret for what she did back then, but I can assure you that she is a better trainer now."

"So Ash even was able to save a Gym Leader, and turn her into being kind... That's so like him!"

"You talk as if you met Ash once before."

"I did. Me and him are rivals! He definitely is a really skilled trainer. Although he does make some stupid calls some times." I said. 'Although come to think of it, I tend to do some stupid stuff too. I guess me and Ash are kind of alike.' I thought.

"Well there's nothing wrong with being like Ash." Sabrina said

"I know but it's still a bit- Hey wait a minute! How did you know what I was thinking? I never said anything!" I said realizing how strange it was that she knew what I was thinking.

"Don't worry. I'm telepathic."

"Oh, I see." I said completely confused.

"That means I can read people's minds."

"Oh wow how cool."

"Thank you. So did you ever battle Ash before?"

"Yea we battled a few times. I won some and he won some. In the end he ended up defeating a trainer who destroyed me. So lately I've been training hard."

"I see. That's really good. Ash seems to be able to influence everyone he battles." Sabrina said happily.

"Yea, I know what you mean. Still one day I intend to beat him."

"That's good." Sabrina said as she stopped at a door. "In this door is the Gym."

"Really? That's great." I said

"Just remember the Gym Leader isn't the same person she used to be. She's changed so you don't have to be afraid if you lose."

"Don't worry, I know. I'm sure that whoever she used to be doesn't matter. All that matters now is that we have a great battle!" I said excited.

I then opened the door and walked into the Gym. The gym had a dirt brown colored battlefield and it had many pillars around it. It looked like a place for a Psychic-Type Gym Leader. The only problem was that I saw no Gym Leader.

"Hey, where is the Gym Leader?"

"I'd look right behind you." Sabrina told me.

I turned around and only saw Sabrina standing there. I stared at her for a minute trying to figure out what she meant. Finally I realized what she was trying to tell me.

"Don't tell me… Are you the Gym Leader?!"

"That's right."

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier? For lying I think I should fine you!"

"Look, I lied to you because I wanted to see how you would deal with my story. The story I told you was all true." She them smirked a little. "I also thought it would be funny to trick you. Sorry about that." Sabrina said.

"Well I guess it's okay. Can we start our battle now?" I asked getting excited to begin the match.

"Of course. The rules are simple. We will each use three Pokémon each and only you can make substitutions." Sabrina told me as she walked all the way to the other side of the battle field.

"Okay, let's begin!"

"Good. I'll choose first. Go Mr. Mime!" Sabrina said as she move a Poke Ball with her mind and sent out her Pokémon. (It looked super cool.)

"All right! I choose you Hitmonlee!" I said as I sent out my Kicking Pokémon.

"Don't forget that your Pokémon is at a huge type disadvantage." Sabrina warned me.

"I know that, but I still intend to win. Hitmonlee use Blaze Kick!"

Hitmonlee ran up to Mr. Mime and kicked him with his fire infused kick.

"Good job! Keep up the Blaze Kick!" I said as Hitmonlee went to kick Mr. Mime once again.

"Don't let that happen! Use Psychic to knock Hitmonlee away!"

Mr. Mime used its mind to throw Hitmonlee against one of the pillars that were in the battlefield. Hitmonlee fell to the ground and he struggled to get back up.

"Don't give up yet, Hitmonlee! Let's hit them hard by using a Hi Jump Kick attack!" I said.

Hitmonlee jumped up in the air and went to kick Mr. Mime.

"Dodge it." Sabina said simply as her Mr. Mime jumped out of the way and my Hitmonlee slammed into the ground causing, it's foot to be in pain since the attack missed.

"We are not done yet. Hitmonlee use Mega Kick!"

"Use Reflect!"

Mr. Mime put up a barrier. Hitmonlee then kicked Mr. Mime with great damage, but Mr. Mime looked as though it only felt half of the damage.

"As long as I have Reflect up then I will only take half the damage from all of your physical attacks. While it may be true that all you have to do is start using special attacks I doubt that your Hitmonlee knows any special attacks." Sabrina said.

"So what? That doesn't mean anything! Hitmonlee, use Close Combat!" I said.

Hitmonlee started Kicking Mr. Mime with great speed and power.

"How do you like that?" I said

"I like it quite well actually. Mr. Mime fire your Psybeam attack right now!"

Mr. Mime fired a beam of Psychic energy and knocked my Hitmonlee on the floor. Hitmonlee tried to get up, but it fell to the ground and was unable to battle.

"No way! How come you're attack was so powerful?" I asked as I recalled Hitmonlee to its Poke Ball.

"My attack wasn't strong. Your defense was just weak. After a Pokémon uses Close Combat, their defense gets lowered. I waited for you to use that move and then I counted it."

"Okay then I'll just have to win with my second Pokémon. Go Skarmory!" I said as I sent out my Steel Bird Pokémon.

"Mr. Mime, use Psybeam!" Sabrina said as her Mr. Mime shot out its attack and hit Skarmory dead center.

"Skarmory don't let that stop you! Use Steel Wing!" I said as Skarmory flew into Mr. Mime with its powerful wings. Sadly though Reflect was still active so my attack only did half the damage. "Don't stop! Use Steel Wing again!" I said

"Stop it in it's tracks by using Psychic!"

Skarmory flew towards Mr. Mime, but Mr. Mime used Psychic to throw Skarmory into one of the pillars, similar to what happened to my Hitmonlee.

"Don't give up yet Skarmory. Use Hyper Beam!" I said

"Light Screen!" Sabrina ordered her Pokémon.

The new barrier appeared to reduce the damage that Mr. Mime felt so when Hyper Beam hit, it only did half the damage.

"This is my ultimate combo with Mr. Mime. I have Mr. Mime use both Light Screen and Reflect in order to make all of your attacks weaker. Plus you just used Hyper Beam, that means that your Skarmory can't move for a while. Now use Psybeam Mr. Mime!" Sabrina said.

Mr. Mime fired its attack and hit my Skarmory head on. Suddenly Skarmory started acting confused.

"Ah! Oh no! Don't tell me that Skarmory got confused?! Come on Skarmory, you gotta snap out of it! Now let's try using Steel Wing!"

Skarmory used Steel Wing, but the problem was that Skarmory started hitting himself with its own attack.

"Mr. Mime use Psychic!"

Mr. Mime stated knocking Skarmory against many pillars and it dealt some major damage to Skarmory."

I could tell that Skarmory was starting to reach his limit. "Listen Skarmory, let's try using Aerial Ace to finish this up!" I said as I took the gamble. If the move hit then Skarmory may still have a chance to win but if Skarmory got hurt from being confused then I knew it would be over.

Luckily the move was starting to go toward Mr. Mime. Skarmory flew straight at Mr. Mime with great speed.

"I'm not gonna just sit here and let you hit my Mr. Mime. Mr. Mime use Psybeam straight at Skarmory!"

Mr. Mime fired its attack and it hit Skarmory with great force. After the attack hit, Skarmory fell face first into the ground and was unable to continue.

"Skarmory return." I said. Well this isn't good. Sabrina still has all three of her Pokémon left and I'm down to my last one. I gotta make this count otherwise I'm done for. 'Okay time for my last Pokémon. This is gonna be my last shot to win this.' I thought

Suddenly I heard the door open and I saw Dawn, Zoey, and Maylene all come in.

"Hey Barry, sorry we were late! You'd be surprised by how much of a maze this place is." Dawn said with a grin.

"Come on! You all missed most of my battle! I should fine all of you! But I suppose it's all okay because you came just in time to see me turn this around." I said confidently.

"Turn it around. So I take it that you're losing right now?" Zoey asked.

I stumbled a bit before turning towards her. "Be quiet! You are so gonna get fined!"

"Still, it looks like Sabrina's a Psychic trainer so in that case I'd recommend you use a Dark or Ghost-Type." Maylene told me.

"Great plan, except for the fact that I have no Dark or Ghost-Type's!"

"What? Seriously?! Well guys I hate to say it but things don't look good for Barry." Zoey said.

"Be quiet! I can still win this!"

"That's the spirit Barry!" Dawn told me. "Oh, by the way. Did you find out if Mat ever had a battle with Sabrina?"

"Oh yea! Come to think of that I forgot to ask." I said as I turned to Sabrina. "Hey did you have a battle with a kid named Mat recently?"

"I did." Sabrina answered me.

"Is that so? Do you mind telling me how he did?" I asked.

"I don't mind at all. Mat fought a hard battle. He just barely beat me. It was only a one on one battle though and he used a Nuzleaf. It won in the end."

"Oh really so Mat was able to beat you. Come to think of it I don't remember him using any Nuzleaf during his battle with Paul." I said

"Don't forget they only had a five on five. That meant that Mat still had one more Pokémon in reserve. I bet that that was his Nuzleaf." Dawn said.

"Who exactly is- You know what never mind! If it's important I'm sure I'll learn who Mat is." Zoey said

Suddenly Sabrina spoke up. "Sorry to interrupt, but you have to send out your final Pokémon." Sabrina told me.

"Oh yea, right. Sorry about the wait but it's time for me to start making a comeback. Let's go Empoleon!" I said as I sent out my partner.

"Let's start this out big. Use Hydro Pump!" I said.

"Counter with Psybeam!" Sabrina said.

Both Pokémon fired their attacks, but Empoleon's attack was stronger so it blasted right through Mr. Mimes attack and hit Mr. Mime with its powerful attack. Mr. Mime got knocked back but it was still able to stand up and continue battling.

"Those Light Screen and Reflect attacks are really becoming a pain in the butt."

"Mr. Mime use Psychic!" Sabrina said as her Mr. Mime used its mind to pick up my Empoleon and it started slamming Empoleon against many of the Pillars. I could tell Sabrina was trying to finish this battle quickly.

"Listen Empoleon, you have to break free of that Psychic and use Hydro Cannon!" I said.

Empoleon did as I said. It broke free of the Psychic and then it jumped from the pillars, down to the floor. It then fired its most powerful attack at Mr. Mime and it hit its target. Mr. Mime went flying backwards and got slammed into a wall. Mr. Mime then went down and this time it looked like Mr. Mime was finished.

"Excellent work Mr. Mime. Now return." Sabrina said.

"All right! I finally beat her first Pokémon! Just two more!" I said.

"I have no intention of losing my second Pokémon. Go Alakazam!" Sabrina said as she sent out a strange yellow and brown Pokémon that held two spoons.

"All right lets end this one fast. Empoleon use Hydro Cannon!" I said as Empoleon fired its huge ball of water straight toward Alakazam.

"Send it flying right back by using Psychic." Sabrina said simply

Alakazam used Psychic to catch the attack and it then knocked the attack straight back toward Empoleon.

"Now use Charge Beam!" Sabrina said.

Empoleon was still unable to move after it used Hydro Cannon so it had to take the attack head on. Empoleon started getting shocked with a powerful beam.

"Empoleon don't give up! Use Hydro Pump!" I said, as Empoleon hit Alakazam head on with its powerful Water-Type move.

"Let's fire a Shadow Ball attack!"

"Knock it right back by using Steel Wing!"

Alakazam fired its powerful attack, but Empoleon was able to knock it straight back by using it's wings. The ball hit Alakazam and dealt massive damage since Shadow Ball was a Ghost-Type move. I also noticed that Light Screen didn't appear.

"Well it looks like Light Screen and Reflect have ended. This means that all of my attacks will deal normal damage once again!" I said happily.

"That may be true, but you shouldn't count me out yet. Now Alakazam use Charge Beam!" Sabrina said.

Alakazam hit Empoleon once again but this time the attack seemed more powerful.

"Charge Beam is an attack that may increase my Pokémon's special attack when I use it. Now use Charge Beam once more!"

Alakazam hit Empoleon with its attack once more. Empoleon ended up down on its knees in pain.

"Come on Empoleon! You gotta get up!" I said.

Suddenly Empoleon had started to glow blue.

"No way! Isn't that Torrent?" I said, as I realized that my Empoleon's ability had been activated. This meant that all of our Water-Type moves would be stronger.

"Alakazam use Charge Beam!"

"Dodge it and fire Hydro Cannon!" I said.

Alakazam fired its electric beam at Empoleon, but Empoleon simply dodged the move and fired it's attack and fired it's Hydro Cannon to hit Alakazam. Thanks to Torrent, Empoleon was able to deal enough damage in order to knock Alakazam on the round.

"Get up Alakazam!" Sabrina said as Alakazam struggled to stand.

"How is that Pokémon still standing?" I heard Dawn ask.

"Alakazam, use Recover!" Sabrina said as Alakazam used its move to heal itself.

"Oh no! Now Alakazam has healed itself!" I said.

"Use Charge Beam!"

"Dodge it and fire Hydro Cannon once more!" I said as Empoleon dodged the Charge Beam and fired its Hydro Cannon.

"Dodge Hydro Cannon! After you dodge it go right up in front of Empoleon and fire Shadow Ball!" Sabrina said.

Alakazam dodged the Hydro Cannon and then ran right in front of Empoleon and fired a Shadow Ball at point blank range. The Shadow Ball sent Empoleon flying into the air.

"Now let's finish this off. Alakazam use Psychic to take Empoleon and slam it on the ground!" Sabrina said.

Alakazam used its psychic powers to take Empoleon and make it fall to the ground with great speed. Finally Empoleon slammed into the floor and it wasn't getting up.

"Oh no Empoleon!" I yelled as I stared at my Pokémon. I knew though that no matter what I said it wouldn't make a difference. I knew Empoleon was down for the count.

"Great work Alakazam. You fought hard." Sabrina said, calling back Alakazam into its Poke Ball. "Let me know when you want to have a rematch. I'll be looking forward to it. And also thanks for the great battle." Sabrina said with a grin. She then left the room.

"Ah, I can't believe I lost!" I said annoyed as I put Empoleon back into its Poke Ball.

"Sorry that you lost." Dawn said.

"Yea, it sure does stink. Well there's only one thing left to do. I have to start training extremely hard if I ever want to Beat Sabrina!" I said as I turned and left the room with Dawn, Zoey and Maylene following me.

'I may have lost today, but now I'm more determined than ever to beat Sabrina. I'll defiantly win our battle eventually.' I thought. I knew that I had to start training hard. I then started heading for the Pokémon center to continue training and I intended to get extremely stronger.

To be continued.

* * *

_Barry: Darn it. I can't believe I lost this battle._

_Dawn: Don't worry Barry, we all have bad battles sometimes._

_Paul: That's true. Either way you should start training hard._

_Barry: You're right about that. There's no way I'm gonna just sit here and mope. It's time to get to work pronto._

_Paul: Whatever. Next chapter will be my battle against Greta._

_Dawn: Try not to lose Paul. Hopefully you trained hard._

_Paul: Believe me I have and I intend to win._

_Dawn: Okay whatever. Thanks again to Jackpot 2 for Beta reading the chapter. Also thanks for reading todays chapter and be sure to leave a review. Let us know what you thought of my contest or Barry's lose to Sabrina. Well we hope you enjoyed this chapter see you next time._


	15. Chapter 15 Paul Vs Greta

_Hey everyone heres the new chapter. I just wanna say sorry for the wait. I know it took me longer then it usually does but I've been having a lot of mid terms in school so I've been busy._

_So in this chapter it's finally time for Paul to face Greta. Will he be able to win or will he suffer a defeat like Barry did._

_With all that said, lets start the chapter._

**Chapter 15 Paul Vs Greta.**

(Pauls POV.)

It had been a day since Barry had lost to Sabrina. Dawn and the others all told me about how Barry's battle went. So far, Barry has been training non stop. The same went for me. I was training hard in order to defeat Greta.

It was early in the morning, so I got up and walked out of the Pokemon Center and decided to start heading to the Battle Arena for my match with Greta.

"Hey were exactly do you think your going right now?" I heard Dawn ask me. I looked over and saw that she was standing by a tree.

"Where do you think? I'm going to go battle Greta." I said.

"Good, then you shouldn't mind if I come along to watch." Dawn said.

"Do as you please." I then noticed that Barry wasn't around. "Barry's not coming is he?"

"No. He said that he wants to spend more time training. He told me to wish you the best of luck. He also told me to tell you that he was sorry for not coming."

"Don't. Believe me, I'm glad he's not coming."

"Well that's not very nice."

"Look, he needs to train otherwise he won't ever beat Sabrina. Barry knows all of this so he's been training really hard for his rematch. For once he's using his head. If he came and watched my battle then that would be wasting time. Trust me it's better this way."

"Yea I suppose your right. Sorry I said that you weren't being nice."

"I couldn't care less either way."

"Hey where do you two think you're going?" I heard a voice say. I turned to see Zoey exiting the Pokemon Center.

"Oh Zoey. I didn't even know you were awake yet." Dawn said with a grin.

"Well I was. So is Paul going to battle Greta?"

"You bet. I was just about to come watch him. Hey Paul is it okay if Zoey comes too?"

"It won't make a difference who comes. I'm still going to win."

"Well try not to get to over confident or you will just defeat yourself." Zoey told me.

"Don't worry I have no intention to."

"Well then that's good. So where is Barry?"

"He wants to train some more. I think that Barry is getting really motivated to improve his skills. Still, at least he's training and not moping around." Dawn said.

"Yea, that's definitely a good thing. He really should be training. So it was just gonna be the two of you?"

"Yup! I was gonna go with Paul. I figured he would need someone to cheer him on."

"I don't need anyone's help." I said coldly.

"Come on. You know that it helps when we're here to cheer you on."

"Believe me it doesn't make a difference."

"Well to bad. I'm coming to cheer you on whether you like it or not." Dawn said annoyed

"Maybe I shouldn't come along. You two sure seem to be having the best time while being alone." Zoey joked.

"If you want to come then you have to shut up." I told her.

"I still don't get how you and Dawn are able to travel together. You two are complete opposites."

Dawn laughed at his and I just let out a breath. '_Man these people can be a real pain sometimes. Still although I hate to admit I suppose I should be a bit grateful. After all, she did get me Infernape back. Still I'm not so sure if I'll ever tell Dawn that or anything. Even if I do it sure won't happen until after I defeat Greta.'_ I thought to myself as I looked at Dawn.

"Huh? What are you looking at?" Dawn asked me.

"Nothing. Let's just hurry up and get to the Battle Arena." I said as I started walking fast.

* * *

After about an hour of walking, we had finally arrived at the Battle Arena. The only problem was that there was a huge door and no matter how hard we knocked on it, it wouldn't open.

"Darn it, why isn't this door opening? How exactly is anyone supposed to challenge this Frontier Brain if she never opens this door?" I said as I tried to knock on the door a few more times but no one answered.

"Maybe you should try yelling." Dawn suggested.

"What kind of stupid idea is-"

"Excuse me! We want to challenge you to a battle!" Dawn yelled, with me standing right next to her. (She almost made me go deaf).

"Will you shut up! Yelling's not gonna make a difference!" I said.

Suddenly, the door started to open.

"Then we accept. Uss!" I heard Greta say as she was standing on the other side of the door.

"See I told you that would work." Dawn said with a grin.

"How did you know that would work? And don't tell me it was a guess." I asked.

"Truth be told Maylene told me. Don't forget she is staying with Greta so she

told me how to get Greta to open the door.

"So the only way to challenge her is by yelling? That is without a doubt the stupidest idea I've ever heard in the first place." I said annoyed.

"You better change your attitude, or else I might not want to battle." Greta said I looked behind and saw that her whole area was a karate dojo. I also noticed that there were many students there that were probably all trained by Greta. Finally I saw Maylene and her Lucario in the back. When Maylene saw that we had arrived, they ran up to us.

"Hey guys! So I guess Paul is finally ready to battle Greta." Maylene said

"Yea, we're ready to watch Paul battle." Dawn said happily.

"I just wanna see if he's any good. The only time I saw him battle was when he faced Brandon and he got his butt handed to him." Zoey said.

"So you faced Brandon once before." Greta said.

"Yea that's right, but back then I was unfocused and let my anger get the better of me." I admitted, thinking back to that defeat.

"I see. So you realize your past mistakes. And you also beat Noland right?" Greta said.

"Yes, that's right."

"Well then I'm defiantly ready to battle you if you're ready to face me."

"I'm ready right now. Earlier I allowed something to get in the way of my training, but now I'm calmer and I know I'll be able to win." I said. 'This time I'm ready to face that Infernape of hers.' I thought to myself.

"Well then I'm glad, but you better make this a fun and worthy battle. Let's hope you have some skill"

"Don't worry, I do." I said.

"Well let's start and head into the dojo so you two can battle." Dawn said.

"Sorry but not yet." Greta said.

"Why not?"

"Dawn don't you know the basic rules of being in a dojo? Before you enter a dojo you must always remove your shoes and socks." Maylene explained.

"Huh? Isn't that a little weird?" Dawn asked.

"Just do it or else you can't watch the battle." I said as I removed my shoes and socks.

"Fine." Dawn said as she did the same. Zoey then did the same.

"Good. Now follow me." Greta said as she led us into a room where there was a huge arena to battle on. Inside the room I also saw a huge wheel. The wheel had 6 symbols on it. The wheel had two squares with one dot on them, two squares that had two dots on them, and two squares that had three dots on them. The wheel also had a lever attached to it.

"Before we begin, you'll have to spin this wheel. You spin it by pulling the lever. If it lands on one dot then we have a one on one battle. If it lands on a two dots then we have a two on two battle. And if it lands on three dots then we battle three on three. Get it?" Greta explained.

"Seems simple enough." I said as I pulled the lever.

I watched as the wheel spun. I continued to watch as the wheel began to slow down. Finally the wheel stooped and landed on the square that had three dots.

"Great a three! You know what that means." Greta said

"So looks like it'll be three on three." I said. 'Perfect this way I can face the

same team she used against Maylene'. I thought to myself.

"So are you ready to begin?"

"Yea, I'm ready for this." I said

"Good then let's start. Uss!" Greta said.

"Hey wait a minute!" Dawn said standing up.

"What is it?" I said annoyed.

"Sorry to bother you two but can you give me just a minute? There's something I have to do real quick." Dawn said as she walked over to Maylene and whispered something into her ear.

"Yea sure I'll show you the way." Maylene said with a grin.

"Where are you going exactly?" I asked annoyed.

"No need to worry. I'll be as quick as possible." Dawn said with a grin. With that she, Maylene, and their Pokemon walked away.

After about 20 minutes, we were still waiting for Dawn to get back.

"Look let's just start the battle already!" I said, a little irritated on how long she

was keeping us before we could start.

"Shouldn't you wait for Dawn a little while longer?" Zoey asked. She was on her knees, sitting towards the side.

"Look, she's taking a while. I have no idea what she's doing but she should've done it sooner!" I said really annoyed.

"Hey! Sorry we took a while." I heard Dawn's voice say, as Maylene and she both entered back into the dojo.

"What took you so long?" I said as I turned to look at her but as soon as I saw her I got my answer. "Why did you change clothes?!" I asked really annoyed. Dawn, along with her Piplup and Buneary, were now wearing a pink cheerleading outfit's and holding pink pompoms.

"Well sorry for changing. Besides I don't know why you're surprised, because I would were this every time Ash had a Gym Battle. I like cheering on my friends." Dawn said with a grin.

"Piplup Pip!" Buneary!" Her Pokemon said, waving around their Pompoms.

"Fine, do as you please. Just don't distract me." I said

"Try not to get distracted. Dawn looks very cute in this outfit so I know it would be easy." Zoey said joking.

"Shut up!"

"Hey, are you ready to begin?" Greta asked from the other side of the battlefield.

"Yea, I'm ready."

"Good then lets reveal what Pokemon we will be using. Come on out Medicham, Hariyama, and Infernape! Uss!" Greta said, as she sent out her three Pokemon.

"Honchkrow, Hariyama, and Infernape stand by for battle!" I said as I sent out my three Pokemon.

"Well would you look at that. Two of our three Pokemon are the same." Greta said excitedly. "Well let's not waste any time. Maylene can you be the judge?" "I'd be glad to." Maylene happily responded, standing up from her place with Dawn and Zoey, and walking over towards the judge's box in the arena, her Lucario following her. "This will be a three on three Pokemon battle between Paul from Veilstone City and Arena Tycoon Greta. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon, and the battle will end when one side has lost all three of their Pokemon. Now begin!"

"Medicham lets go! Uss!" Greta said as she told her Medicham to go up first. Her other two Pokemon stood behind her.

"Honchkrow you go first." I said as I had Honchkrow moved forward.

"Honchkrow vs Medicham! Begin!"

"Honchkrow use Night Slash!" I said.

Honchkrow's wings glowed purple and used them to slash into Medicham.

"While it may be true that Honchrow is half Dark, and Dark-Types are weak against Fighting-Types, but don't forget that your Medicham is half Psychic so this gives me a huge advantage."

"I'm a Frontier Brain. Don't you think I know all of that? I also have the perfect counter for Flying-Types. Medicham use Ice Punch!"

Medicham made a fist of ice and punched Honchkrow in the chest.

"Honchkrow use Night Slash once more.!"

"Jump over Honchkrow and use Ice Punch once more!"

"Use Double Team, hurry!"

Honchkrow went to hit Medicham but Medicham countered by jumping over Honchkrow. Medicham then used Ice Punch and went to punch Honchkrow, but Honchkrow then made clones of itself, causing Medicham hit the wrong one.

"Darn it! Which one is the real one?"

"Now Honchkrow use Sky Attack!"

Honchkrow began to charge up for its attack. Honchkrow then flew forward and went to deal major damage to Medicham.

"Wait for Honchkrow to get close and use Ice Punch!"

The moment Honchkrow got close, Medicham punched it in the face but when Medicham punched it Honchkrow didn't take any damage, instead it just vanished.

"What?!" Greta said shocked.

"Don't forget I never stopped using Double Team. Now hit Medicham in the back with Sky Atack! I said.

The real Honchkrow then flew up behind Medicham and hit it straight in its back.

Medicham then fell to the floor.

"Medicham you gotta get up! Uss!" Greta said as Medicham got back up to its

feet.

"Honchkrow finish this by using Brave Bird!"

Honchkrow flew straight toward Medicham and got ready to win the match.

"Use Detect!" Greta said.

Medicham's eyes glowed green and Medicham was able to dodge the attack.

"Now use Focus Punch!" Greta said with passion.

"Counter it by using Brave Bird one more!" I said.

Honchkrow waited for Medicham to get close and once Medicham was about to hit it, Honchkrow slammed into Medicham with extreme speed and power. Medicham then got knocked on the ground and this time it was down for the count.

"Medicham is unable to battle, Honchkrow is the winner!" Maylene declared.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

"All right way to go Paul! Just two more and the win is yours." I cheered, waving my pompoms with my Pokemon.

"Not too bad so far." I heard Zoey say.

"Yea. Paul's especially been training Honchkrow for this battle and it looks like their training has really paid off.

"I bet watching Greta's battle with Maylene the other day might have helped a little too." Zoey said.

I nodded. Although I was confident Paul could win, I couldn't help but be worried a little about when he has to use Ash's Infernape in battle. I mean, sure they've gotten past about what happened, but I just hoped Paul can still keep it together if they were to lose.

_No need to worry! There's no way that Paul and Infernape are going to lose!'_ I thought.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

"Medicham return! You did excellent work." Greta said as she put her Medicham back into its Poke Ball. "Well I'm glad to see that this battle really is gonna be a fun one. Hariyama your next! Uss!" Greta said as her Hariyama came forward to battle.

"Honchkrow come back for now." I said as Honchkrow flew back to behind me. "I guess since your using your Hariyama then I might as well do the same." I said.

"Begin!" Maylene said

"Focus Punch!" Both of us said at the same time

Both Pokemon punched each other in the face. Afterwards they knocked each other back a few feet.

"Hariyama use Arm Thrust!" Greta said

Greta's Hariyama ran up to my Hariyama and hit it with a barrage of Arm Thrusts. It kept on hitting my Hariyama with great force and I knew I had to stop the attack.

"Catch one of Hariyama's hands!" I ordered as my Hariyama grabbed onto Greta's Hariyama's hands. "Now use Seismic Toss!" I said.

Hariyama jumped up into the air and threw Greta's Hariyama straight forward onto the floor with great force. Greta's Hariyama then got back up to its feet while panting.

"Hariyama use Force Palm!" I said.

Hariyama ran up to Greta's Hariyama and placed its palm on Greta's Hariyama's chest. A few seconds later a beam of light came out and knocked Greta's Hariyama on the ground. Greta's Hariyama then got back up, but it suddenly seemed to be moving slower.

"Looks like your Hariyama's paralyzed. Hariyama use Focus Punch!" Hariyama focused its fist and punched into Greta's Hariyama's stomach. Suddenly though Greta's Hariyama grabbed my Hariyama's hand and my Hariyama was unable to get away from it.

"Oh no Greta's Hariyama was able to catch Paul's Hariyama." Dawn said sounding conceded.

"This isn't good. Now Greta can use a powerful attack and Paul has no way to dodge it." Zoey said.

"All right Hariyama, use Dynamic Punch!" Greta said.

Suddenly Greta's Hariyama took its hand and created a fist that had a ball of light surrounding it. Greta's Hariyama then punched my Hariyama in the face. Afterward I noticed that my Hariyama started acting confused.

"Darn it! Hariyama is confused!" I said annoyed.

"Now go Hariyama, use Focus Punch!" Greta said

Hariyama took its fist and slammed it into my Hariyama. My Hariyama stood back up but I could tell it had taken a lot of damage.

"Hariyama return." I said as Hariyama came back to my side.

"Smart choice. So which Pokemon will you use now?" Greta asked.

"Just use Infernape Paul! Dawn yelled.

I then looked at Infernape. "Not yet. I only want to use Infernape as a last resort." I said

"So then your going to use your Honchkrow? But it's still tired." Dawn said.

"Trust me. Honchkrow will do fine. Now go Honchkrow!" I said as Honchkrow flew out to continue battling.

"Honchkrow vs. Hariyama! Begin!" Maylene announced.

"Honchkrow use Brave Bird!"

"Hariyama use Vital Throw!"

Honchkrow flew straight into Hariyama with great force, but after the attack hit, Hariyama grabbed Honchkrow and threw it straight onto the floor. Honchkrow has taken some serious damage from the attack and it was also wounded from it's previous battle with Medicham.

"Honchkrow use Night Slash!"

Honchkrow slashed Hariyama, but it barley did any damage.

"Using Dark-Type moves won't help at all. Hariyama use Dynamic Punch!"

_'There's no way that I'm gonna let that move hit a second time!' _I thought to myself. "Honchkrow use Double Team!" I said as my Honchkrow made the clones and Hariyama punched one of the fake ones.

"Now use Sky Attack!" I said

Honchkrow charged up and then flew straight toward Hariyama with great speed and power.

"Jump over Hochkrow and use Heavy Slam!"

Honchkrow went to hit Hariyama but Hariyama jumped over Honchkrow and then slammed onto Honchkrow with great force. Honchkrow was being trapped under Hariyama's body. Honchkrow was trying to get out but it was trapped.

_'Darn it! How am I supposed to get out? I'm trapped under this Pokemons body! How was I supposed to get out…? That's it!'_ thought as I remembered something that would help. "Honchkrow use Night Slash on the ground to make room for you to get out!" I said.

Honchkrow started slashing the ground until it was able to make a gap between itself and the ground. As soon as the gap was made, Honchkrow flew out and escaped.

"Looks like it worked." I said relieved.

"How did you know to try that?" Greta asked shocked.

"I learned it from someone." I said.

"Paul, wasn't that similar to the way Ash escaped you Gastrodon in you Sinnoh league battle?" Dawn asked.

"That's right. I figured it would work here and luckily it did."

"So that was a plan Ash once used. Interesting." Greta said intrigued.

"TIme to end this! Honchkrow use Brave Bird!"

"Hariyama use Focus Punch!" Greta said.

Honchkrow ran into Hariyama and Hariyama punched with great power. The two Pokemon collided and then both Pokemon moved back. For a minute, both Pokemon were standing there for a minute and then suddenly both of them fainted at the same time.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" Maylene announced.

Both of us called back our Pokemon.

"Well isn't this a nice surprise. I never thought that you would be so good. This

is becoming a really existing match!" Greta said with a lot of enthusiasm, so much it was almost as if she was on fire.

"I'm glad to be facing such a worthy opponent! "It has been awhile. Now its time for my final Pokemon! Let's go Infernape! Uss!" Greta said.

_'Finally! Its time for me to face her Infernape. Last time I saw this I allowed it get to my head. Not this time. I gotta remain calm and send out my Hariyama first and then if she defeats it then I'll send out Infernape to finish the job.' _I thought.

"Hariyama come back out!" I said. Hariyama came out and it was no longer confused.

"Hariyama use Focus Punch!" I said as Hariyama ran toward Infernape.

"Dodge it and use Flamethrower!" Greta said.

Infernape dodged my Hariyama's attack and then fired a Flamethrower with great power. The Flamethrower hit my Hariyama and it sent Hariyama flying back, and making it quickly faint.

"Hariyama is unable to battle! Infernape is the winner!"

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

"No way that was way too quick! How was Greta able to win so quickly?" I asked, sounding really concerned.

"Don't forget that Paul's Hariyama took a lot of damage when it faced Greta's Hariyama." Zoey told me.

"But still, to be defeated with only one hit? That was way to quick!"

"It only shows us how well Greta has trained her Infernape. Paul will have to be careful if he wants to win this round. But I doubt he can."

"He will win. Trust me I know it." I said, having a lot of faith in Paul.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

'_One Pokemon left. Hariyama went down faster then I thought it would. Now all I_

_have left is Infernape._' I thought. "Go Infernape!" I said as Infernape stepped up and was ready to battle.

"Infernape use Flare Blitz!" Greta said.

"You use Flare Blitz too!" I said.

Both Pokemon collided their attacks and they seemed to be at even strength.

"Infernape use Flamethrower!" Greta said.

Greta's Infernape hit my Infernape with a huge Flamethrower, although it looked like the Flamethrower was extremely powerful, my Infernape looked like it was ready to keep going.

"Inferape use Focus Blast!" Greta said as her Infernape created a huge ball of energy and it threw it.

"Use Dig to dodge the attack and then come up to deliver a counter attack!" I said

Infernape dodged the move by digging a hole. Suddenly My Infernape reappeared from behind Greta's Infernape and punched it with great force.

"Now use Flamethrower!" I said

"Dodge it and use Focus Blast!" Greta said

My Infernape fired a Fllamethrower with such great speed that Greta's Infernape was unable to dodge the blast. However, after the attack hit Greta's Infernape quickly recovered and fired a Focus Blast with equally as fast speed. The Focus Blast hit my Infernape.

_'It's been so long since the last time I had a serious battle with this Pokemon. I treated you like garbage didn't I? You should hate me for all I've done but instead you choose to help me when I needed it. I'm not sure I understand why but I do understand this…there is no way I can lose this battle!'_ I thought to myself.

"We will not lose this! Infernape use Flamethrower!" Greta said

"We'll use Flamethrower too!" I said.

The two Flamethrowers hit each other with equal power and they cancelled each other out.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

"Wow I can't believe how equal they are!" Zoey said shocked.

"It's like their in a league of their own. One thing's for sure though. Paul and Infernape are perfectly in sync." I said.

"I know it's shocking! You would never believe that Paul and Infernape haven't battled together for such a long time. I gotta say I'm impressed." Zoey said, a small smile forming on her face.

"It's because Paul has finally realized that there's no point in beating himself up over how he used to act. I'm so glad. Come on Paul and Infernape you two can do it!" I cheered, along with my Pokemon.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

"Infernape use Dig!" I said as Infernape dug a hole.

"Use Focus Blast into the hole!" Greta said as her Infernape fired a blast into the hole that my Infernape dug. We all heard the blast hit and then all went quiet for a minute. Infernape was not coming up from its hole

"Well looks like I-" Greta was about to say but she got cut off because my Infernape suddenly came up from its hole and hit Greta's Infernape.

"Seriously?! That's no fair! Your Infernape pretended it was finished in order to deliver a powerful blow!" Greta complained.

"I see nothing wrong with having a good plan." I said, smirking.

"Fine! Do as you please! Infernape use Focus Blast once again! Uss!" Greta

said.

"Jump in order to dodge it!" I said

My Infernape jumped over the Focus Blast but when it landed, Greta's Infernape suddenly cam running up and was right in front of my Infernape.

"Now go Infernape! Use Close Combat!" Greta said as her Infernape started hitting my Infernape with great speed until it had finished.

"Infernape use Mach Punch!" I said.

Infernape quickly ran up to Greta's Infernape an punched it in the face which caused Greta's Infernape to be sent flying.

"Now use Flamethrower!" I said as Infernape shot out its fire and dealt damage to Greta's Infernape. Greta's Inernape then went flying and it smashed against a wall. Greta's Infernape then stared down for awhile.

"Is it over?" I heard Dawn ask.

"Hopefully." I said.

"Fer!" I heard Greta's Infernape say as it stood up.

"Now you've done it!" Greta said with a grin.

"Don't tell me." I said but I knew what was happening.

"Thats right Paul! My Infernape is staring to reach its limit and you know what happens then. Blaze activates. Our fighting spirit has been ignited! Uss!" Greta said with great passion as her Infernape hopped back into the ring.

"This isn't good. Infernape use Flamethrower!" I said.

"Good Idea. I think we'll do the same!" Greta said.

Both Infernape's fired their Flamethrower attacks at the same time but Greta's Infernape's Flamethrower was able to overpower my Infernapes Flamethrower so it hit my Infernape with great power.

"Let's finish this off! Infernape lets end this by using Flare Blitz on them!" Greta said

Her Infernape surrounded it's body with fire and it ran up to my Infernape and slammed into it with extreme power. My Infernape then got knocked to the ground.

"So can your Infernape get back up or is this battle over?" Greta asked.

"Infernape get up!" I said as Infernape struggled to its feet.

"Come on Infernape! Don't quit! You can still win this!" Dawn cheered.

_'Okay, now's the time to truly see if I'm able to use Infernapes true power. If I am then Blaze will activate and I still will have a chance to win this battle. If Blaze doesn't activate then I'm doomed.' _I thought.

Suddenly Infernape stood back onto its feet. Its eyes were red and the fire on its head was growing huge.

"Looks like Blaze has activated for us!

"All right! Now go win this battle Paul!" Dawn cheered with excitement.

"No way! What kind of a Blaze is that?" Greta asked shocked.

"Lets just say this Infernape has a bit of a special Blaze."

"Special or not we're still gonna win! Infernape use Flamethrower!"

"You do the same!" I said.

Both Infernape's Fired Flamethrowers at the same time but my Infernape's Flamethrower cut through Greta's Infernapes's Flamethrower like it was butter.

"Now use Mach Punch!" I said as Infernape ran into Greta's Infernape and punched it dead in its chest.

"All right keep it up Paul and Infernape!" Dawn cheered sounding very happy.

"That's it. Time to end this! Use Flare Blitz!" Greta and I said at the same time.

Both Infernapes surrounded their bodies with the fire. My Infernape's fire was blue and Greta's Infernape's fire was orange. Then the two Pokemon ran into each other and collided like crazy. Neither one of them wanted to give in and both of them kept trying their hardest not to give up. Finally the two attacks caused an explosion. We both stood there as the whole room got filled with smoke from the explosion.

"Who won the battle?" Dawn asked as the smoke began to clear.

When the smoke cleared we saw what had happened. My Infernape was hurt badly. It was breathing heavy and it was holding onto one of it's arms because it must've hurt it. My Infernape was hurt bad, but it was also still standing. I then turned to look at Greta's Infernape. Greta's Infernape was lying face down on the floor and it was clearly unconscious.

"Gretas Infernape is unable to battle! Pauls Infernape is the winner! This makes

the winner of the battle Paul from Veilstone City!" Maylene announced.

"Yes! Great job Paul! Way to go!" I heard Dawn cheer as I saw her with a huge smile.

Infernape then looked at me and gave a huge grin.

"Fer! Infernape!" Infernape said.

"Yea. We sure did do good. You've gotten stronger." I said back.

"Way to go! We're so glad for you Paul!" Dawn cheered.

And to be honest I was pretty glad too.

To be Continued.

* * *

_Paul:Finally we get a chance to speak after the chapters._

_Dawn: Well the past few chapters we've been busy so we couldn't._

_Paul:Whatever at least I won the battle._

_Dawn: Yea but it sure was close. I was worried there for a second. So was my cheering helpful._

_Paul:At least it wasn't annoying._

_Dawn:Thats a compliment coming from you. Either way thank you for reading this chapter. We hope you enjoyed Pauls second frontier battle. Please review to let us know what you thought of the battle. See you all next time._


	16. Chapter 16 Barry's New Catch

_Dawn:Well everyone Paul has finally won his second Frontier symbol._

_Paul: Whatever._

_Dawn: You sure had a tough battle but in the end you were able to pull through._

_Paul:I suppose so._

_Dawn:This chapter Paul will be finally returning Infernape to Ash. Also we will get to see what Barry's up to. We hope you enjoy this chapter please review and lets get this chapter started._

* * *

**Chapter 16 Barry's New Catch**

(Paul's POV)

"Greta's Infernape is unable to battle, Pauls Infernape is the winner. The winner of this battle is Paul!" Maylene said, declaring Paul the victor.

"Good job Paul!" I heard Dawn and her Pokemon cheer.

"Good job Infernape. Thanks for trying your best. Uss!" Greta said as she recalled her Infernape.

"Fer Infernape." My Infernape said with a grin.

"You did well Infernape. Thanks you for help." I said as I recalled my Infernape.

Greta then walked up to me. "I must say, that was a great battle. I haven't had that much fun in a long time." Greta said with a grin as she extended her hand.

"It was a challenging match. Thanks for the battle." I said as I shook her hand.

"With this win I am proud to present you with your second Frontier Symbol, the Guts symbol. Take it, you've earned it. Uss!" Greta said as she held out the symbol.

I took the symbol and put it in my case that held all my Frontier Symbols. "So this makes two symbols. Only five left." I said.

"The next place you should head to should be the Battle Dome which is located in Lavender Town. The Frontier Brain there is a man named Tucker. Best of luck to you. I'm sure you'll do fine. Uss!" Greta said.

"Good then. So our next stop will be Lavender Town." I said.

"Isn't that the town that's supposed to be haunted?" Dawn asked sounding scared.

"You don't actually believe in the stuff do you?" Zoey asked half laughing.

"Well a little bit." Dawn said a bit embarrassed.

"Who would believe in something so ridiculous. Only children are afraid and believe in such things." I said.

"Look we all have things we're afraid of so there's no need to make fun of me!" Dawn defended.

"Whatever. Let's just get back to the Pokemon center in Saffron city. We need to send Infernape back to Ash."

"Oh, your right. He said he'd be staying at Nimbasa City for a little while so we should be able to reach him again."

"Good then we better get heading back." I said and I turned to Greta once more. "Thanks for the advice and for the battle." I said as I began to leave.

"Hey wait, I need to change back into my old clothes first!" Dawn said

"You gotta be kidding me!" I said annoyed.

"I'll be quick." Dawn said as she went to get changed.

"Well, we'll be here for another hour." I said, sighing.

"Why can't you just be nice to her? She's only being herself and supporting her friends." Zoey said.

"Whatever."

"Ignore him Zoey." Maylene said, approaching us with her Lucario.

"I'm going to wait outside. Tell Dawn that I'll be waiting outside." I said as I walked outside and left the Battle Arena.

After about twenty minutes, I saw Dawn come out of the Battle Arena. She was back in her normal outfit and she had put all of her Pokemon back in their Poke Balls, except for her Piplup, who for some reason she kept out of it's ball.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. So are you ready to get going?" Dawn asked me.

"Yea, let's go. By the way where is Zoey? Didn't she come with us?" I asked

"She told me that she was going to stay there for a little longer. Knowing her I bet that she's going to train here. She also told me that after she was done she was going to head to another town."

"I see. So then that means that we won't be seeing her again for awhile." I said as the two of us started walking to head back to Saffron City.

"Yea. I'm kinda disappointed. I'm sure that we'll meet up with her again though. Me and her always seem to run into each other over and over again. I guess that's just how it is with rivals."

"That much is true. You always seem to run into your rivals when you least expect it. Sometimes you run into them even when you don't want to."

"That's how it was between you and Ash wasn't it?"

"Yea. He always seemed to annoy me whenever he showed up. At first I always hated him but I soon ended up acknowledging him as my rival." I said, thinking back to all of my previous encounters with Ash.

"Tell me about it. You have no idea how hard Ash would train in order to defeat you. He would always talk about defeating you in the Sinnoh League. I was shocked when he finally did!"

"Yea. Him and Infernape were strong."

"I really hope you two will battle again someday."

"I intend to have a rematch with him so you don't have to worry about that."

"That's a battle can't wait to see. I wonder who I should cheer for though. After all I've become pretty good friends with both you and Ash." Dawn said with a grin.

"Do as you please. I don't care either way."

Dawn laughed at this. "You always seem to act like that. You act like you don't care about what people do."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"Well for starters it make you look like someone who tries to act cool but in reality make's you look like a bit of a dork." Dawn said laughing.

"Piplup Pip!" Her Piplup chirped from on top of her head.

"Will you cut it out?!" I said, angered by her comment.

"Fine. It's just fun teasing you sometimes." Dawn said. "To be honest though you did really good today when you were using Infernape." Dawn said changing the topic.

"I suppose. I just battled like I normally did."

"Still I'm shocked at how well you did. I was a little afraid you would freeze up when Greta sent out her Infernape. Still I'm glad things went so well."

"…Yea well I kinda owe that to you, Barry and Ash. I hate to admit it but you helped out a lot with this one."

"Wow, your thanking me. I should record this." Dawn said in mock shock.

"Shut up! Either way I'm not so sure I could've won if it wasn't for Infernape. I just never thought Reggie would be right when he said traveling with you guys would be a huge help." I said quietly.

"Well I'm happy to help whenever I can. Besides it's really no big deal. I'm sure you would've done the same if our positions were reversed." Dawn said.

_Would I? I can't help but wonder that._ I thought to myself.

"Hey what's wrong?"

"It's nothing! Let's hurry up and get back to Saffron City." I said, picking up my pace a little.

"Okay fine." Dawn said as we head back to Saffron City.

* * *

After awhile, we arrived back at Saffron City. We headed straight to the Pokemon center and when we got there, we went straight to the phone to call Ash.

"Hey Paul I just realized that I couldn't find Barry anywhere." Dawn said, noticing that our eccentric friend was nowhere in sight.

"Well hopefully that just means that he's training somewhere else and that he's training hard." I said as I picked up the phone and dialed the number to reach the Nimbasa City Pokemon Center.

The phone rang a few times until finally a Nurse Joy answers it; however her appearance was different from what most Nurse Joy's usually looked liked. "Hello this is the NImbasa City Pokemon Center. May I ask who it is that you want to speak with?" The nurse there asked.

"Is Ash Ketchum there?" I asked.

"I believe so. Just give me a minute to get him." The nurse said. I then heard her yell out Ash's name. "Yup he's here. I'll just put him on the phone so you can talk with him."

The screen shifted to Ash. After I saw him I had just realized that I hadn't spoken to him since our battle at the Sinnoh League. I also noticed that he also looked different, wearing different clothes. His Pikachu was there too, as always sitting on his shoulder. I could tell that it was different too, possibly because it may have gotten stronger since last time. "Hey Paul what's up? It's been awhile. How's it going?" Ash said over the phone.

"Hey." I said back.

"Hi Ash! Pikachu!" Dawn said as she sat next to me.

"Hey Dawn." Ash greeted his old traveling companion.

"Pika Pi!" His Pikachu said happily.

"So Paul Dawn told me you were challenging the Kanto Battle Frontier. Is that true?"

"That's right."

"That's great. Man I remember back when I challenged them. That sure brings back memories. So how many Frontier Brains have you defeated so far?" Ash asked.

"Didn't Dawn tell you all this when she called a few days ago.?"

"All she told me was that you were challenging the Battle Frontier and that you needed to borrow Infernape for a battle." Ash said.

"I see. Well I faced Noland and won that battle and I just came back from a battle with Greta."

"So you beat Noland. That's great. So how did you do against Greta? I bet you won."

"It was a tough battle but I did win it." I said.

"All right I knew you would win. So did you end up using Infernape? If so I hope things went well."

"Well I did end up using Infernape and everything went well. I called because I'm giving Infernape back."

"Great. Well I'm glad you were able to work well with Infernape. I'm happy you were able to win. So when are you guys gonna come to Unova to visit?" Ash asked.

"What are you talking about?" I asked having no idea what Ash was talking about.

"Well Dawn said that you, Barry and her would all come to Unova sometime."

"Really? Well I'm so glad you remembered to tell me Dawn" I said to Dawn, glaring at her. She chuckled nervously.

"Opps! Sorry. I kinda forgot to tell you. I would've but we were a little busy." Dawn said.

"That seemed like something important!" I said annoyed.

"Hey is there a problem Paul? Are you guys not able to come to Unova." Ash asked us sounding disappointed.

"We may be able to, but I'm not sure." I said making sure I made no promises.

"Come on Paul! That's messed up. I really wanna see how all of you guys are doing!" Ash whined.

_Glad to see he's as immature as ever._ I thought.

"Geeze Ash, if your friends can't come then they can't come. There's no reason to whine about it! You sound like a little kid!" I heard a girl say. She appeared next to Ash, with unusually large purple hair with a bow on top, amber eyes and what looked liked a green Pokemon in it.

"Axew!"

"But Iris-" Ash said, turning his head to talk with the girl who spoke.

"Now Ash you should realize that your friends are busy just like us." I heard a boy say. He appeared on Ash's left, and from what I could tell he looked something like a waiter with green eyes and hair.

"I know that Cilan, but I really want to see them again. And besides I bet you would love to see the relationship between each of their Pokemon." Ash said to the boy who was called Cilan.

"So I'm guessing Cilan and Iris are your two new traveling companions." I said.

"Yup. Nothing gets by you Paul."

"So have you made any new rivals yet?" I asked. I didn't know why but I was curious.

"Yeah, I've made some. Were do I begin? There was this guy named Stephen, (still can't get his name right) this girl named Bianca, and many others. But to be honest, none of them even compare to this one guy I met." Ash began, his face turning serious. "His name is Trip. He's a bit of a jerk but he's also a really great trainer." Ash said.

"Is that so? So have you beaten him yet?" I asked. For some reason I was really interested in how Ash's rivals have been.

"To be honest we've faced there times and I only tied with him once."

"How is that possible? Infernape should be able to destroy that kid whoever he is."

"I know all that, but I only want to use my Unova team. I've caught a lot of new guys and I've only been training them."

"Only you would do that." I said sighing.

"So will you be able to come and visit? Please! I really wanna have a chance to battle you again!" Ash said almost begging.

"Paul you really can't say no when he asks you like that." Dawn told me.

"Fine. I'll make sure we'll have time to come visit you. But when we arrive, you better be ready for a battle. I intend to face you. I'd also like to teach some of these rivals of yours a lesson on how to train Pokemon." I said with a small smirk.

"Sure, no problem. In the Unova region there are always these tournaments being held. I'll be sure to let you guys know when one is about to start so you can come then. Man I'm so excited for this!" Ash said with full excitement.

"Geeze what a little kid." I heard Iris say.

"Still you can't help but understand Ash's excitement. After all it should be interesting to see what your friends relationships are. I'm defiantly looking forward to some future evaluating." Cilian said offscreen.

I looked at Dawn and I could tell that we were both thinking about how weird Cilan was.

"Oh, hey Ash. While we were at the Battle Factory, Noland told us you battled an Articuno with your Charizard. Is that true?" Dawn asked.

"Yea. It was a close battle, but Charizard managed to pull through in the end. Did you end up battling it Paul?"

"No. Unfortunately, Articuno was not there at the time, so instead I battled three of Noland's strongest Pokemon." I said.

"Well, that's good. Man I'm so synced about this! Hey is Barry there? Last time I talked to Dawn, Barry screamed at me for not noticing him and I wouldn't want that to happen again." Ash said.

"No. He's out training for a battle. To be honest I have no idea were he is." Dawn said

"Aw well. I'm sure he'll be fine. Well it was great talking to you Paul. See ya." Ash said, about to hang up.

"Ash wait a minute!" I said.

"Yea, what is it?"

"You forgot to take back Infernape." I said showing him the Poke Ball.

"…Yikes! That would've been a problem! Thanks for reminding me Paul!" Ash said laughing a bit.

"I repeat, what a little kid. You really forget some simple stuff. Returning Infernape was the main reason he called in the first place." Iris said

"Well that's classic Ash for you." Cilian said giving a small laugh.

"Will you guys cut it out?! So Paul, can you send Infernape back over here?"

"Yea." I said as I placed Infernape's Poke Ball in the transporter and the Poke Ball got sent to Ash.

"Thanks a bunch!"

"So I'm guessing your still collecting gym badges right?" I guessed.

"You know it. I already won four badges."

"Don't forget that Trip has won five already." Cilian reminded Ash.

"Sounds like this guy's always one step ahead of you." I said.

"You got that right. Man it's just like how it was between you and me. No matter how hard I try he always seems to be one step ahead of me. But don't worry I'll beat him."

"Well doesn't that sound familiar, right Paul?" Dawn said with a grin.

"Whatever" I said simply.

"No need to worry Ash! I'm sure you'll beat him. You always do in the end." Dawn said happily.

"Thanks a lot. I'll make sure I win the next time we face off. Well I better get going. I can't wait to see you guys again. Say hi to Barry for me." Ash said.

"Pikachu!"

"Bye. I hope we get to meet you guys in person soon!" Iris said.

"Axew Xew!" The green Pokemon in her hair waved.

"Goodbye. It's been a pleasure speaking with you and I look forward to our next meeting." Cilan said politely.

"Goodbye. I'm looking forward to visiting." Dawn said as she waved goodbye.

"Piplup!"

"Later." I said as we all hung up.

Dawn then turned and looked at me with a huge grin.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing much. I'm just excited to visit Ash soon. Aren't you excited?"

"Not really." I said

"Liar! Admit it! You can't wait to see Ash once again. I bet you're already thinking about your rematch right now." Dawn suspected.

I remained quiet.

"Still, it's good to see Ash still training hard. It's to bad Ash currently is unable to beat this new rival. He always seems to have trouble against those types of people. But in the end it all works out."

"All works out huh? You mean like how Ash was able to defeat me in the end." I said annoyed.

"Well um not exactly. Ash has had many rivals you see and, um…" Dawn said clearly nervous and trying to make up an excuse.

"Whatever. All that matters is the fact that I'm gonna beat him the next time we face off. Plain and simple." I said standing up.

"Aren't you the one who's always telling people not to get overconfident? Or perhaps you're just excited to have a rematch with Ash."

"Neither. I'm going outside to train some more." I said as I headed outside.

"Geeze, is that all you do? We should be looking for Barry. I wonder were he ran off to?" Dawn said sounding worried.

"Don't worry. He was probably training and then he saw some Pokemon he wanted so he chased it like an idiot. Believe me he's probably trying to catch a new Pokemon as we speak." I said calmly.

"Yea I suppose your right." Dawn said laughing a bit.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

"Ugh where is it?" I asked to myself as I continued looking for this Pokemon.

Earlier today I was training hard for my rematch with Sabrina but I suddenly saw this cool looking Pokemon fly over me, so naturally I chased after it and tried to catch it but got so far I was having no luck finding it. I ran after it so far that I ended up leaving the city and heading into a forest area. To make matters worse I think I got lost while chasing it.

"Hey, where are you, you stupid Pokemon? You better come out or I'm gonna fine you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Suddenly, I saw something come out of the trees. The mysterious Pokemon came out and I was able to see that the Pokemon was a Xatu.

"Wow that usually doesn't work." I said shocked that threatening to fine someone actually worked.

_Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure me fining a Pokemon wouldn't work. Oh well maybe this Xatu is just scared of my pure awesomeness._ I thought with great confidence.

"Well let's just see what the Pokedex has to say about this Pokemon." I said as I pulled out my Pokedex.

"Xatu, the Mystic Pokemon. This unusual Pokemon can see the past and the future as well. It watches the sun's movement all day long." The Pokedex said.

"Man how cool a Pokemon that can see into the past and the future. All right Xatu your gonna join my team so lets battle." I said

The Xatu remained calm and turn around and it started to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going? Don't leave!" I said as it kept on walking. "Listen you stupid Xatu, if you don't battle me then I'm gonna fine you!" Suddenly the Xatu turned to face me and looked at me coldly. "Well it seems you either hate getting threatened or you just don't like it when people try to fine you. Either way I'm gonna catch you and add you to my team."

The Xatu just stared at me as if it thought I was an Idiot. "Hey what's your problem? Why are you staring at me like that? Maybe all you can do is look scary and in reality you may just be a weak battler." I said.

The Xatu then raised its wings, showing it was ready to battle me.

"Well looks like you really hate it when people make fun of you or talk down to you. Either way it's time to start. Go Heracross." I said as I sent out my Bug Pokemon. "Now go use Megahorn!" I said.

Heracross swung it's horn with great speed, but the Xatu simplly flew up high in order to dodge the attack. The Xatu the created a black ball energy and threw it straight at Heracross. The ball hit Heracross and knocked Heracross on its back. Heracross then stood back up.

"Man that attack was Shadow Ball wasn't it? It sure did look strong. Now I want you even more! Heracross fly in the air and hit Xatu with Megahorn!" I said.

Heracross flew into air. The Xatu's eyes suddenly started glowing blue but Heracross hit Xatu anyway. Heracross hit Xatu with great force and knocked Xatu against the ground.

"All right, lets finish this by using Horn Attack!"

Heracross went to finish off Xatu but suddenly Heracross got blasted by some weird psychic blast. Heracross then got knocked to the ground.

"Huh. What kind of weird attack was that? Wait a minute, the only move I know that works that way is Future Sight. That might be why the Xatu's eyes started glowing blue earlier." I said as my Heracross struggled to its feet. "Heracross hit Xatu with horn attack" I said as Heracross slammed it's horn into Xatu. "All right you weekend it. Now it's time to catch it. Go Poke Ball!" I said as I threw a Poke Ball at the Xatu.

The Pokeball started to shake a few times but suddenly it came open and the Xatu escaped.

"Xatu!" the Xatu said as it flew up to Heracross and it did a Aerial Ace attack that knocked Heracross down and defeated Heracross.

"Darn it! Heracross return! Man this Pokemon sure is tough, but this only makes me want it more. Go Empoleon!" I said as I recalled my Heracross and sent out my starter Pokemon.

The Xatu's eyes suddenly started to glow blue just like earlier.

"Looks like Xatu's using Future Sight. Empoleon use Steel Wing before you take any damage from the Future Sight!" I said

Empoleon ran up to Xatu with its Steel Wing attack, but the Xatu quickly countered Empoleon by firing a Shadow Ball attack. Empoleon got hit with the attack and got knocked on the ground. Empoleon started to try to getting up but it suddenly took damage from the Future Sight attack.

The Xatu gave a small smirk and stared at me like it was looking down at me.

"Whats your problem? You think your better then me?! You stupid Xatu, all you do is rely on those dumb Psychic and Ghost-type moves. Why don't you just try attacking me head on?" I yelled at the Xatu.

The Xatu suddenly looked annoyed and then it came running at my Empoleon and it started to use Aerial Ace.

_That's it. It seems like this Xatu falls for some of the most obvious taunts. In that case I may just know how to win._ "Empoleon wait for Xatu to get close to you and then hit it in the face with Steel Wing!" I said

The Xatu went to hit my Empoleon but Empoleon moved out of the way at the last second and slammed it's wing into the Xatu.

"Well looks like that plan worked. You sure do fall for some easy taunts don't you? I can kinda relate to you though." I said

The Xatu the stood up and looked angry. It then created another Shadow Ball attack and threw it directly at Empoleon.

"That works for us. Empoleon knock the Shadow Ball right back at Xatu by using Steel Wing!" I said

The moment the Shadow Ball came up to Empoleon, Empoleon knocked the attack back with its wings. The Shadow Ball went flying back and hit Xatu causing Xatu to drop to its knees.

"All right lets finish this by using Hydro Cannon!" I said

Empoleon fired it's most powerful attack and hit Xatu with great force. Xatu then dropped to the ground.

"All right now I'm really gonna catch you! Go Poke Ball!" I said as I threw my Poke Ball and it got the Xatu. I watched as the Poke Ball shook a few time's and after about a minute, the Poke Ball snapped shut.

I walked up to the Poke Ball and picked it up. "All right! I caught a Xatu! Now with this new addition to my team, I just know I'll be able to beat Sabrina." I said happily as I held out my Pokeball.

"Now my only concern is…. How am I supposed to get out of here?!" I yelled getting worried.

I looked around at the forest I was in. I had no idea what the way back to Saffron City was. I was training at the center earlier and when I saw the Xatu fly above the center, I ran after it. I was so excited to catch it that I didn't even pay attention to were I was going.

"Man this stinks. Oh well, I suppose I better just follow the map on my Poktech. I wonder if Paul has finished his battle with Greta yet. Well either way I better hurry back. Tomorrow I'm gonna go have a rematch with Sabrina. I can't wait!" I said excited as I took out my Poketch, I looked at the map, and started following it back to Saffron City. One thing was for sure, I was defiantly ready to win my rematch with the new addition to my team.

To Be Continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Well thank god Infernapes finally back with Ash._

_Paul:And now we're supposed to visit him eventually. Oh god._

_Dawn Comeon be a little more excite will ya._

_Paul:No. Besides were is Barry?_

_Dawn:Good question. I think he's still lost in the woods somewhere. I'm sure he'll find his way bak eventually._

_Paul: Yes well lets hope he doesn't get himself killed._

_Dawn: Thats not very funny Paul. Thanks for reading todays chapter. Please leave a Review to let us know what you thought and next chapter Barry will have his rematch with Sabrina. See you all next time bye._


	17. Chapter 17 rematch with sabrina

_Okay heres chapter 17. Today Barry wiki have his rematch with Sabrina but will he be able to win. Well you'll just have to read and find out._

_Sorry this chapter took awhile. Things have been busy but from here on out, I'll try to update for some weird reason, this chapter wasn't showing up after I posted it so I had to re post it._

_With all that said lets start the next chapter I hope you all enjoy it._

* * *

**Chapter 17 Rematch With Sabrina.**

(Barry's POV)

By the time I arrived back at Saffron City, it was dark out. When I got towards the Pokemon Center, I was shocked to find Paul and Dawn training outside. Paul was training with his Eevee and Dawn was training with her Deerling. What surprised me even more was the fact that Paul and Dawn were training so late at night.

"So you finally return." Paul said to me without glancing up from his training.

"Yup, I just got back." I said.

"That's good. We were getting worried about you." Dawn said.

"Speak for yourself. I told you he'd be fine." Paul said to Dawn.

"And it looks like you were right. Still you can't help but worry about your friends." Dawn said with a grin.

"This coming from the girl that always says No Need to Worry." Paul said. "Eevee come back for now. You've trained enough for today." Paul then put Eevee back into its Poke Ball and he then turned to me. "So how has your training been going?"

"Well you know I've been kicking butt and I believe I'm ready for my rematch with Sabrina. So how did your battle with Greta go?" I asked changing the topic.

Paul responded by opening up his frontier case revealing a second frontier symbol.

"Wow so you won. That's so cool. So how hard was she?"

"I won't lie, it was a difficult battle."

"Sweet. Are you gonna return Infernape to Ash?"

"Already taken care of."

"What? You guys spoke to him without me?! I swear I'm gonna fine both of you! I wanted to speak with him!" I said annoyed.

"Look if you wanted to speak with him then you should have been here and not running around." Paul said.

"Well I was busy catching this super cool new Pokemon!" I said proudly as I held out the Poke Ball which contained Xatu.

"Oh you caught a new Pokemon. That's great. Looks like Paul was right." Dawn said, adding the last part as an afterthought.

"Piplup! Her Piplup agreed from its place on her head.

"Huh? How did you know that I would catch a new Pokemon?" I asked Paul.

"I didn't. I just figured that knowing you, you would've most likely ran after any wild Pokemon you saw like an idiot." Paul said.

"I'm so gonna fine you!" I said angrily at his accusations, even if they were somewhat true.

"So what Pokemon did you catch?" Dawn asked changing the topic.

"Oh right! I should show you guys. Come on out Xatu!" I said as I opened up my Poke Ball and Xatu came out. "What do you guys think? Pretty cool right?" I said proudly.

"It's just a Xatu." Paul deadpanned.

"Come on Paul be a bit nicer. It's really cool Barry, great job." Dawn said congratulating me.

"Thanks a bunch. With Xatu on my team I'm definitely going to beat Sabrina. In fact, I think I should go challenge her right now." I said confidently.

"Good luck with that. The Gym is closed right now." Paul pointed out.

"Seriously?! Why on earth would she close the Gym for today? I should fine her!" I said annoyed.

"Idiot, the Gym is closed because it's night time. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow." Paul said.

"Oh yea, good point. I kinda got lost in the forest after I caught Xatu. I tried using my map app on my Poketch, but for some weird reason it wasn't working right." I said

"It probably broke because you never take good care of anything." Paul said.

"Well sorry! By the way, why were you and Dawn out here this late training?" I asked.

"Dawn insisted we should wait outside until you got back here." Paul told me.

Dawn the walked up to me. "I only said I would wait out here. Paul decided to wait too." Dawn whispered to me with a small grin.

"Oh really?" I said, as I looked at Paul.

"What are you looking at." Paul asked annoyed (He clearly could tell what Dawn had just told me)

"Nothing at all! So are you guys going to come watch my rematch with Sabrina?" I asked

"Of course we are going to come!" Dawn said happily, with Piplup nodding it's head.

"I have nothing better to do so I'll come." Paul told me.

"Sweet! well then let's get to bed so we can start my battle as soon as we wake up!" I said but then suddenly my stomach growled.

"Hungry?" Dawn asked teasingly.

"Yea I suppose so. I haven't eaten anything all day." I admitted, rubbing the back of my head nervously.

"Neither did I. Did you eat anything today Paul?"

"You were with me the entire day. What do you think?"

"Okay okay fine! No need to be a jerk about it." Dawn said.

"So let's eat first and then go to bed."

We all went inside the Pokemon center and all got some sandwiches to eat. Dawn also got some Pokemon food for her Piplup.

"Is it good Piplup?" Dawn asked her Penguin Pokemon.

"Plup Piplup." Dawns Piplup said happily.

"How long have you had that Piplup exactly?" Paul asked Dawn

"Piplup was my starter Pokemon. I've had it for a while. Why do you ask?" Dawn asked.

"Shouldn't it have evolved by now? You did have it for a long time." Paul half responded, half asked.

"I know the answer to that." I said speaking up. "For some reason Dawn's Piplup doesn't want to evolve. Whenever it was about to evolve, it would use Bind to prevent it from evolving. Eventually Dawn decided to give it an Everstone to prevent Piplup from evolving." I explained.

"So that's why." Paul said as he took a bite from his sandwich.

"So Barry what Pokemon are you going to use. Will you use the same three you used last time?" Dawn asked.

"I plan on using some different Pokemon since the first three didn't do so good. I'm probably gonna use Xatu, Heracross, and I'll have Professor Oak send over Staraptor from his lab." I said

"Good plan but are you sure you should try to battle with a Pokemon you just caught? That would be a little risky and carless." Paul said.

"Trust me, this Pokemon can handle itself."

"You're acting like Ash but I suppose if you're that confident then you should go with your plan." Dawn said.

"Whatever works for you then." Paul said.

"Trust me; I'll be able to win." I said.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed." Paul said as he got up and left.

"We should turn in too." Dawn said as she finished her sandwich.

"Yea your right. Lets go." I said as I hurried up and finished my sandwich and left.

After we got back from the cafeteria in the Pokemon Center, I went to the telephone and had Professor Oak send over Staraptor in exchange for my Roserade. After I was all done, we headed to our room, got changed, and we all went to bed.

* * *

The next morning I got up early and started shaking Paul to wake him up. "Hey Paul hurry up and get up!" I yelled at Paul.

"What do you want?" Paul said annoyed.

"We need to get up so I can up challenge the Saffron Gym Leader to a rematch." I said eagerly.

"Fine, I'm up!" Paul said as he got up and quickly got dressed.

"Good now we should wake Dawn up." I said

"Go ahead. Make sure you tell her to hurry up. That'll be fun to see." Paul said with a small smirk.

"Very funny." I said as I started trying to wake Dawn up.

"Ugh. What time is it?" Dawn asked as she yawned.

"Oh it's late. It's already 11 a.m. We need to leave quickly." Paul said.

"Okay just let me get ready." Dawn said as she got up.

"No time. I wanna battle as soon as possible." I said trying to rush her.

"Just give me a minute!" Dawn said

"Are you really gonna make Barry wait just because you have to get ready? Isn't that a little cold?" Paul said. (I could tell he was only saying those things to annoy Dawn)

Dawn then just glared at Paul. "I'm leaving ahead of you two!" She said as she grabbed her backpack and walked out of the room.

"Do you think she'll show up to my battle?" I asked.

"I'm sure she will. She's probably gonna show up wearing that cheerleading outfit she wears when her friends battle." Paul told me

"Did she wear something like that when you battled Greta?"

"Sadly yes and I bet she'll do it to you too." Paul said, sounding a little embarrassed at that.

"Well that seems kinda nice of her."

"Maybe. We should get going." Paul said as he stood up.

"Yea. Let's go." I said as we left the room and we started heading to the Gym.

* * *

"This the place?" Paul asked as we arrived at the door to the Gym.

"Yea but you can get lost easily if you don't know the way." I said as we entered the place. I took the path that lead me to Sabrina's Gym. When we arrived at the room, we opened the door to find Sabrina inside of there.

"So you've returned. Have you trained well?" Sabrina asked me.

"Of course! I've trained quite a bit for our rematch. I have some new tricks up my sleeve."

"Good then. Your friend can watch the battle from the side lines over there." Sabrina said, pointing towards a bench at the side.

"Very well." Paul said as he walked over to the side lines and sat down.

"A girl was here earlier." Sabrina told me.

"Was it Dawn?" I asked.

"Yea that was her. She said she would be back in a bit and then she left."

"It probably was Dawn. You might as well start the battle now." Paul told me.

"Right! So are the rules the same as our last battle?" I asked hoping they were.

"They are. We will use three Pokemon each." Sabrina said.

"Good then lets get started immediately!" I said.

"Good then. I'll start things off. Go Mr. Mime!" Sabrina said as she sent out her Human Pokemon.

_Great that Pokemon again! Last time it was able to defeat two of my Pokemon in a row. I'm not gonna let that happen this time!_ I thought.

"Staraptor you're up first." I said as I sent out my Flying-type Pokemon.

"Mr. Mime use Psybeam!" Sabrina said.

"Dodge it and use Brave Bird!" I said.

Staraptor dodged the attack and turned blue. It then flew straight towards Mr. Mime. Staraptor hit Mr. Mime dead center but then Staraptor took some damage from the recoil.

"Mr. Mime use Reflect followed by Light Screen!" Sabrina said.

Mr. Mime then created the two Barriers in order to reduce the damage like last time.

"Staraptor use Aerial Ace!" I said.

"Catch it with Psychic!" Sabrina said.

"Not gonna work. Staraptor use Double Team in order to trick Mr. Mime!" I said.

Staraptor went to hit Mr. Mime, but Mr. Mime tried to use Psychic to stop Staraptor. However Staraptor dodged the Psychic attack by making the clones of itself. Staraptor then hit Mr. Mime with Aerial Ace.

"Get up and use Psybeam!" Sabrina said as Mr. Mime rose to its feet and shot out a multicolored beam and it hit Staraptor.

"Star! Staraptor!" My Staraptor said as it acted confused.

"Oh no! Staraptor you gotta fight it and use Aerial Ace!" I said.

Staraptor then attempted to use Aerial Ace, but it just slammed into a pillar and damaged itself.

"Use Psychic and slam Staraptor against a pillar!" Sabrina said as her Mr. Mime used its mind to grab Staraptor and started slamming it against the Pillars. Finally, Mr. Mime took Staraptor and threw it to the ground. Staraptor then got back up to its feet but it was struggling to do so.

"Try Aerial Ace once more!" I said.

Staraptor flew toward Mr. Mime and hit it.

"Looks like the confusion has ended." I heard Paul mutter.

"That may be so but don't forget your attack will still deal only half of the damage with Light Screen and Reflect active. Now go Mr. Mime and use Psybeam!" Sabrina said as her Mr. Mime fired another Psybeam at Staraptor.

"Dodge it by using Double Team!" I said as Staraptor made the clones in order to dodge the attack.

"Just attack them all!" Sabrina said.

"Your not gonna get that chance. Staraptor use U-turn!" I said.

Staraptor flew straight toward Mr. Mime and then at the last second, Staraptor vanished and reappeared behind Mr. Mime. Staraptor then slammed into Mr. Mime and then went back into my Poke Ball.

"Gotta say that was smart for you Barry. Not only did you deal major damage to Mr. Mime since U-Turn was a Bug-type move, but you also brought back Staraptor." Paul said.

"Yup! !t went just as I planed." I said.

Suddenly the doors to the Gym opened. We all turned and saw Dawn walk in wearing her cheerleading outfit. Her Piplup and Buneary were also out and dressed in similar clothes.

"Hey Sabrina thanks for telling me where I could change. I'm sure Paul and Barry will be sur-." Dawn started to say but she then noticed that Paul and I were already at the Gym. "Huh, how long have you guys been here?" Dawn asked us.

"They arrived here a little while ago. So far neither of us have lost a Pokemon." Sabrina said.

"Looks like you were right about Dawn changing clothes Paul." I said to him.

"Told you." Paul responded.

"What were you two saying behind my back?" Dawn asked annoyed.

"Paul was just telling me how cute you looked in that outfit." I said obviously lying. I could tell Paul was glaring at me.

"I know your lying. Now what were you really saying?" Dawn asked annoyed, glaring daggers at us.

"Just come over her. I swear we weren't saying anything bad about you." Paul said trying to calm Dawn down.

"Okay I'm coming." Dawn said as she and her Pokemon ran over to where Paul was sitting.

"Okay let's continue." I said.

"Do you always get distracted every time you're in a battle?" Sabrina asked in a bit of a joking manner.

"It's not my fault Dawn was late to my battle!" I said.

"Hey cut it out or I won't cheer for you." Dawn said.

"Anyway let's continue. All right lets go Heracross!" I said as I sent out my Heracross.

"Wow that should be a good call since Heracross is a Bug-type!" Dawn said happily.

"Mr. Mime use Psybeam!" Sabrina said.

Mr. Mime fired its Psybeam and hit Heracross.

"Heracross get up and use Brick Break!" I said.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

"Huh why would Barry use a Fighting-type move on a Psychic-type Pokemon?" I asked confused.

"Actually that is one of the smartest things Barry could've done." Paul said.

Heracross swung it's arm and broke through both the Light Screen and the Reflect. Heracross then kept its arm going and hit Mr. Mime.

"Huh what happened?" Dawn asked

"Brick Break is a move that always breaks through moves like Light Screen and Reflect. Barry just got rid of his biggest problem by using that attack." Paul Explained.

"Awesome move Barry!" I cheered, along with my Pokemon.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

"There goes my biggest pain." I said happily.

"Mr. Mime use Light Screen and Reflect once more!" Sabrina said.

"We're not gonna let that happen again. Heracross use Megahorn before Mr. Mime has a chance to put up those Barriers!" I said.

Heracross then slammed into Mr. Mime with its horn and sent Mr. Mime flying into a pillar.

"Mr. Mime…" Mr. Mime said as it fell to the ground and fainted.

"Mr. Mime return. You fought well." Sabrina said as she put her Mr. Mime back into its Poke Ball.

"All right, that's one win for me. So far I'm doing a lot better then the last battle." I said happily.

"That's true so well done. Now for my second Pokemon. I think you'll remember this one. Go Alakazam!" Sabrina said as she sent out her Alakazam.

"I remember that one. Return Heracross." I said as I recalled my Heracross. "Come on back out Staraptor." I said as I sent back out my Staraptor.

"Alakazam use Charge Beam!" Sabrina announced.

"Dodge it and use Brave Bird!" I said.

Staraptor moved to the left to dodge the Charge Beam and then it used Brave Bird to slam into Alakazam. Alakazam then got back up to its feet and Staraptor took its recoil damage.

"Use Shadow Ball!" Sabrina said, as her Alakazam shot out the dark ball and it hit Staraptor. "Now use Charge Beam!" Her Alakazam shot out a electrical beam and it hit my Staraptor.

Staraptor then struggled to get back up and I knew it was about to fall.

"Let's try to finish this battle in one blow! Staraptor use Brave Bird once more!" I said as Staraptor turned blue and slammed head first into Alakazam.

I had hoped that Brave Bird would've been strong enough to finish off Alakazam but the Alakazam was still standing. Staraptor then took more damage from the recoil and it then fainted from it.

"Now were tied. We each only have two Pokemon left." Sabrina said.

"Staraptor return. You did great buddy." I said as I called back my Staraptor.

"Common Barry you can still win! Keep on fighting!" I heard Dawn and her Pokemon cheer.

"Pip Piplup!" "Buneary!"

"All right time to test out my new Pokemon! Go Xatu!" I said as I sent out my newly caught Xatu.

"So that's a new Pokemon. Well let's hope it's powerful." Sabrina said, intrigued due to Xatu being a Psychic-type.

"Don't worry, this one is. Xatu use Shadow Ball!" I said.

"Alakazam counter with Shadow Ball!"

Both Pokemon fired their Shadow Balls as the two attacks cancelled each other out.

"Now use Charge Beam!" Sabrina said.

"Dodge it!"

Xatu flew out of the way of Alakazam's Charge Beam.

"Now use Aerial Ace!"

"Stop it with Psychic!"

Alakazam used its psychic powers to prevent Xatu from finishing off its attack. Alakazam then threw Xatu against one of the pillars.

"Xatu break out of it and fire Shadow Ball!" I said.

Xatu struggled to break out of the Psychic but it eventually was able to. As soon as Xatu broke out of the Psychic attack, it fired its Shadow Ball and hit Alakazam dead center. Alakazam was breathing heavy and it was reaching its limit.

"Looks like you Alakazam's about to faint." I said confidentially.

"Don't forget that I have a solution to this problem. Alakazam use Recover!" Sabrina said.

"I'm not gonna let that happen again. Xatu stop Alakazam by using Confuse Ray." I said as Xatu created an orange ball of light and threw it at Alakazam. Suddenly Alakazam started acting confused.

"Alakazam try using Recover!" Sabrina said a little worriedly.

Luckily though, her Alakazam started attacking itself because of the confusion.

"Let's defeat it before it has a chance to recover! Use Shadow Ball once more!" I said.

Xatu created its ball of darkness and threw it straight at Alakazam. The ball hit Alakazam dead center and knocked Alakazam out.

"Alakazam return. Good Job." Sabrina said as she recalled her Alakazam.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

"Hey Paul, I think Barry might actually win this." I said happily. "If he keeps up the momentum then this battle is as good as won."

"I'll admit Barry has made some progress, but don't forget that Sabrina has one Pokemon left, which Barry doesn't know about, so this battle is far from over." Paul said.

"I just hope Barry can handle whatever Sabrina throws at him."

* * *

(Barry's POV)

"All right! Just one more Pokemon left." I said feeling really relived right now.

"You definitely are doing well. To think I'm on my last Pokemon. Now it's time to end this. Go Gengar!" Sabrina said as she sent out her final Pokemon.

"Wow a Gengar!" I said as I took out my Pokedex.

"Gengar, the Shadow Pokémon. Gengar hides in the shadows. If a Gengar is nearby, it is said to feel ten degrees colder than normal." The Pokedex said

"That's surprising. I thought you would use another Psychic-type." I said confused, knowing full well that Gengar was a Ghost-type.

"To be honest I usually do use a third Psychic-type Pokémon, which is usually my Hypno, but seeing as you guys know Ash I thought I'd make an exception." Sabrina said happily.

"Wait a minute, what does me knowing Ash have anything to do with you using Gengar or not?" I asked confused.

"Gengar was once a Haunter that was given to me by Ash. I suppose technically Ash never caught the Haunter but I still consider this Pokemon one of my most important. This was the very Pokemon that saved me from who I used to be."

"Is that so? Xatu return." I said calling back my Xatu.

_The big problem is the fact that I know nothing about her Gengar. When it came to defeating her first two guys, I was able to use a strategy because I say her two Pokemon battle earlier. I have no idea about this Gengar. Oh well I guess I better just go on and try my best._ I thought to myself.

"Keep it up Barry. Just one more!" Dawn cheered.

"Come on back out Heracross!" I said as I sent out my Bug Pokemon.

"Gengar use Hypnosis!" Sabrina said.

"Don't let that happen! Use Mega Horn!" I said as Heracross slammed into Gengar with it's horn. "Good now use Mega Horn once again!"

Heracross went to hit Gengar, but Gengar suddenly did something weird. It suddenly sunk into the ground and disappeared.

"Huh? Where did it go?" I asked confused.

"Gengar is able to hide in shadows to avoid attacks. Now Gengar appear behind Heracross and use Hypnosis!" Sabrina said.

Gengar suddenly came up from the shadows and fired a blue light that caused my Heracross to fall asleep.

"Now use Dream Eater!" Sabrina said as her Gengar started absorbing my Heracross' dreams.

"Heracross use Sleep Talk!" I said.

Suddenly Heracross slammed Gengar with its Mega Horn attack.

"Good move." Sabrina said impressed.

"I learned that trick from watching Ash's battle with Nando and Tobias." I said as I remembered those battles Ash fought. "All right Heracross lets end this by using Sleep Talk one more time!" I said confidently.

Heracross suddenly swung its horn straight at Gengar.

"Alright! If this attacks hits then Barry will deal major damage. He may even win with this move. Now go win this!" Dawn cheered.

"You should pay more attention. This battle isn't over yet." I heard Paul say.

_I wonder what Paul means by that._ I thought.

Heracross swung its horn and it looked like the attack would deal major damage. Suddenly however, the attack passed right through the Gengar.

"What the heck just happened? Why didn't the attack work?"

"Barry, don't forget that Sleep Talk uses a random move. Your Heracross must've used Horn Attack and not Mega Horn." Paul told me.

"Yea, so what? That still doesn't explain why my attack passed right through Gengar."

"You Idiot! Mega Horn is a Bug-type move so it would work on Gengar. Horn Attack on the other hand is a Normal-type move and Normal-type attacks have no effect on Ghosttypes." Paul explained.

"…Oh no I completely forgot that!" I said as I started freaking out.

"Big mistake. Now Gengar lets finish this battle with Shadow Ball!" Sabrina said as her Gengar fired a Shadow Ball and hit my Heracross with great power. Heracross then got knocked out for good.

"Heracross return. Good try Heracross. You helped me out a bunch in this battle." I said as I recalled my Heracross.

"It's your own fault for forgetting something so obvious." Paul said coldly.

"Hey be a bit nicer it could've happened to anyone." Dawn scolded Paul, before turning her attention towards me. "Don't give up Barry, you can still win this!" Dawn cheered.

"Okay final Pokemon time. It's all up to you Xatu!" I said as I sent out my Xatu.

"Well then let's end this. Gengar use Shadow Ball!"

"Dodge it by using Aerial Ace!"

Xatu used its Aerial Ace to go around the Shadow Ball and hit Gengar with great speed.

"Gengar use Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge it and use Future Sight followed by Shadow Ball!" I said.

"Dodge the Shadow Ball by hiding in the Shadows!" Sabrina commanded.

Gengar fired a Thunderbolt attack but Xatu got out of the way and countered by using Future Sight. Xatu's eyes glowed blue to show that it had activated its Future Sight attack. Xatu then created a Shadow Ball and threw it towards Gengar. Gengar then suddenly sunk into the shadows and dodged the Shadow Ball.

"Where is it?" I said trying to figure out were the Gengar would reappear.

"Now come up from behind Xatu and use Hypnosis!" Sabrina said.

The Gengar appeared behind Xatu and went to use Hypnosis. Suddenly though, the Gengar took damage from my Xatu's Future Sight attack.

"All right! Now while Gengar is hurt, fire Shadow Ball straight at it!" I said.

Xatu fired its Shadow Ball and it hit Gengar. Gengar got knocked down but it got back up. I could tell that Gengar had taken a lot of damage.

"Now use Aerial Ace!" I said.

"Wait for Xatu to get close to you and then use Hypnosis!" Sabrina said.

Xatu started to fly toward Gengar but Gengar fired its red light and it put my Xatu to sleep.

"Oh no! This isn't good!" I said

"Now use Thunderbolt Gengar!" Sabrina said

Gengar then started shocking Xatu and it was dealing major damage to Xatu.

"You gotta wake up Xatu!" I said hoping that Xatu would wake up.

Sadly though my Xatu remained asleep.

"Use Thunderbolt once more!" Sabrina said as her Gengar shocked Xatu once again. After the attack hit, I noticed that my Xatu was almost finished.

"Come on Xatu! You gotta wake up." I said but Xatu wasn't waking up. Suddenly I had an Idea. "What's wrong Xatu? Are you too lazy to keep sleeping like a wimp? You better wake up or I'm gonna fine you!" I said.

"Xat Xatu!" My Xatu said as it suddenly woke up looking annoyed.

"I guess Barry's Xatu will do anything if you insult it first. What a weird Pokemon" Dawn said.

"Now fire Shadow Ball!" I said.

"Hide in the Shadows to dodge the move!" Sabrina said.

Xatu fired its Shadow Ball, but the Gengar dodged the move by going into the shadows like it did earlier.

"Now come back up and use Hypnosis once more!"

"I'm not letting that happen again! Xatu wait for the Gengar to come up, and then use Confuse Ray!" I said.

Gengar appeared behind Xatu and began to fire Hypnosis but Xatu quickly turned around and fired it's confuse Ray to confuse Gengar.

"Good job! Now use Aerial Ace!" I said as Xatu flew straight into Gengar.

"Gengar hurry up and snap out of the confusion!" Sabrina said.

Xatu kept hitting Gengar with Aerial Ace but then suddenly Gengar was able to recover from the confusion.

"Now use Shadow Ball!" Sabrina said

Xatu went to use Aerial Ace once more, but Gengar quickly fired its Shadow Ball attack and hit Xatu straight in the face. Xatu then went flying back and hit the ground.

"Come on Xatu, get up!" I said as Xatu rose to its feet.

"Man both Pokemon have taken so much damage." I heard Dawn say.

"It's coming down to the wire. This battle's about to end." Paul said knowingly.

"Come on Barry you can win this!" Dawn cheered.

"Let's end this! Use Shadow Ball!" Sabrina and I said at same time.

Both Pokemon fired a Shadow Ball at the same time. The two attacks then collided with one another for what felt like an eternity but it couldn't have possibly been more than a minute. Suddenly both Shadow Balls exploded and knocked both Gengar and Xatu back up against the pillars. Both Pokemon were then on the ground.

"Come on Xatu stand back up! I know you can do it!" I cheered.

"Gengar you gotta get back up! Keep trying!" Sabrina said to her Pokemon.

We both stood there and watched as our two Pokemon struggled to rise. One thing was for certain, we both knew this battle was almost over.

To be continued

* * *

_Paul:Well this battle sure is close._

_Barry: I know right. THings are really coming down to the wire._

_Paul:Lets hope you don't end up loading. That sure wouldd suck._

_Barry: Hey you sound like you don't think I can win._

_Dawn:Cut it out you two. Well we hope you all enjoyed this chapter and once again sorry for the long wait. Please leave a review to let us know what you thought._

_Barry: If you don't I'll fine you._

_Paul:Plase stop Barry._

_Dawn:Any way like I said please revieww, we hope you enjoyed this chapter, and see you all next time._


	18. Chapter 18 Battling with Bagon

_Dawn: Okay sorry for leaving you all on a cliffhanger last time._

_BArry: And now it's time for me to win._

_Paul: Or mess up big time._

_BArry: Shut up or I'm gonna -_

_Paul: What fine me. I've heard it before._

_Dawn: Stop fighting you two. Anyway today the battle will end and afterwards something special will happen. We hope you enjoy the chapter and please leave a review. With that said lets get started._

* * *

**Chapter 18 Battling With Bagon**

(Barry's POV)

Gengar and Xatu's two Shadow Balls collided and sent both Pokemon flying back into pillars. The two Pokemon then fell from pillars and landed on the ground.

"Get up Xatu!" I said as I cheered on my Xatu.

"Gengar stand up!" Sabrina said.

Both Pokemon then struggled to their feet. Gengar reached its feet first. Xatu was struggling to stand up. It was currently on its knees and Xatu was trying to stand up, but it looked like it might not be able to stand up.

"Come on Xatu, you gotta stand back up! Keep trying!" I said.

Sabrina suddenly smiled. "Looks like this battle is just over." Sabrina said.

_No way. We have to win! Xatu can't give up yet!_ I thought to myself.

"Xat…Xatu!" Xatu said as it continued to try to stand up.

"Gen…Gar!" Gengar said as it continued breathing heavily.

Both Pokemon were breathing heavily. Suddenly Xatu stood back up to its feet. But it was just barley standing.

"Gen…Gar!" Gengar said as it suddenly fell to the ground and laid there unable to continue battling. Xatu on the other hand was still standing.

"Well looks like I lost. Gengar come back, you did wonderfully." Sabrina said as she recalled her Gengar.

"Way to go Barry! That was awesome!" Dawn and her Pokemon cheered. I looked over towards her and flashed her victory sign before gazing over towards Paul. Either I'm seeing things, or I could've sworn I saw Paul smile. I shook my head at the thought and turned towards my Xatu.

"All right we won! Great job Xatu!" I said as I recalled my Xatu. Sabrina then walked over to me.

"That was a great battle. You've defiantly improved since the last time we battled. Here take the Marsh Badge." Sabrina said as she handed me the Badge.

"Thanks! All right! I got my second Badge!" I said happily as I took the Badge, raising it up into the air.

"Good job Barry!" Dawn cheered happily.

"Thanks for the great match. I'm really impressed at how much you've improved since our first battle." Sabrina said.

"It sure was a challenging match. I was scared that you might've been able to win once again."

"Maybe, but in the end your good strategy was what won the match." Sabrina said with a grin.

"I'm shocked you were able to come up with a plan at all." I heard Paul say as he walked up to me.

"Cut it out Paul. Just admit that Barry did a good job." Dawn said as she walked over to me with Paul.

"I never denied that he did a good job. I only said that I was shocked that he used his head for once. I bet you're just as surprised as I am that he was able to come up with such a good plan."

"Um. Well maybe I was a little shocked but Barry still did a good job. How did you ever come up with that plan to begin with?" Dawn asked.

"To be honest I don't even know. The idea just came to me." I said.

"Only you could pull that off." Paul said sighing.

"I should fine you guys!" I said annoyed.

Sabrina laughed a bit. "Out of curiosity, where are you guys going to go now?" She asked us.

"Good question." I said.

"We're going to go to Lavender Town to challenge Tucker to a battle." Paul told her.

"Sounds good. I'll also challenge whatever Gym is there."

"Great idea, just one small problem though. There is no Gym at Lavender Town." Paul said.

"…What?! Are you serious.?! Why not?" I asked annoyed.

"I have no idea why there's no Gym in the city. All I know is that they didn't put one there!" Paul snapped.

"Well then how about we head to the next closest Gym. I'm pretty sure there's one in Vermillion City." I said.

"All right then. We'll go there right after I beat Tucker." Paul said simply.

"No way! I say we go there first." I argued back.

"Not happening."

"Why don't you two let your third companion decide?" Sabrina suggested.

"No way! Dawn would just agree with Barry since she's afraid to go there. She's probably just scared of a few make believe ghosts." Paul said really annoyed.

"What was that?" Dawn said getting mad at Paul.

"I said your afraid of a few ghosts so you would never want to go to Lavender Town. Unless you intend to prove me wrong."

Dawn then turned and started leaving.

"Hey Dawn, where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going to get changed into my normal clothes! You two wait for me outside the Gym!" Dawn said annoyed.

"As you wish your majesty. Is there anything else you need?" Paul said in a sarcastic manor. Dawn just glared at him.

"After I finish changing, we're heading to Lavender Town. I'll show you whose afraid Paul!" Dawn said as she left.

"Hey wait!" I said but Dawn was already gone.

"Well that went well. Looks like we're heading to my place first."

"You tricked her! That was low Paul, even for you! I'm gonna fine you!" I said annoyed at Paul.

"Do as you please. Besides if you just rush into a Gym Battle then you'll end up getting beaten and embarrassed just like with your first battled with Sabrina. Besides…"

"Besides what?" I asked confused.

"There's supposed to be a Contest held in Vermilion City in about a month. If we went to Vermilion City first then we would miss it." Paul explained.

"Oh I see. That way Dawn can enter her Contest. But if that's true then why didn't you just tell her that? If you did then I'm sure she'd be okay with us going to Lavender Town first." I said.

"You seem to be a little more fine with us going to Lavender town suddenly." Paul said.

"Well I still really want challenge the Gym first, but I suppose that we should do the decision that helps us all the most…Also, as scary as Dawn seems right now, she would be ten times worse if she found out that she missed a Contest."

"Agreed."

"Zoey mentioned it to me back when I was battling Greta. She told me all of this when Dawn wasn't around."

"Ah I see. Still I'm shocked that you're doing all this to help Dawn. It's kinda nice of you."

"I'm doing it for multiple reasons. For starters I'm now able to get my third Frontier battle done with faster. I also suppose that this is my way of returning the favor for her help earlier. I tend to hate being in peoples debt."

"Now it's starting to make sense. I had a feeling that you wouldn't do something like that out of the goodness of your heart. Still you probably could've told her. Why did you lie to her and make her angry at you?"

"I figured it would make for a good laugh." Paul said with a small smirk. "Now let's get going. We better be outside or else we might make Dawn even angrier." Paul said sarcastically as he walked out.

"Hey wait up." I said as I started to leave. I stopped right before I exited the room, and looked at Sabrina. "Thanks again for the great battle." I said to her, bowing.

"Thank you. It was a well fought one." Sabrina said simply as I left the room.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

"That jerk! Who does he think he is?" I said angrily.

After I left the boys, I went back to the locker room Sabrina told me about and changed into my usual clothes. Naturally I returned my Pokemon back to their Poke Balls except for Piplup, and was about to meet up with them. Just then…

"This just in! The battle between our Dome Ace Tucker and his most recent challenger has just come to a close!"

I passed through one of those wall mounted TV's, when I heard a female announcer announced something about Tucker. I turned to face the screen to get a better look.

"Despite the type advantage our Dome Ace held, his challenger was able to overcome impossible odds, and managed to secure his second Frontier Symbol!"

"Wow! Whoever this guy is must be pretty good to have won a battle like that. Think we should let Paul know he has some competition going for him?" I asked Piplup, who was as always on my head.

"Pip Piplup!" It said, shaking its head back and forth, clearly meaning no.

I smiled. "I agree. Let's have him find out the hard way. I'm sure it'll be good for a laugh once he finds out." I said, already giggling to myself as I went outside to meet with the others.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

Paul and I arrived outside and waited for Dawn to come out. After a few minute, Dawn came out of the Gym dressed in her usual clothes with her Piplup by her side

"You two ready to get going." Dawn said simply.

"Yes, but before that, we should probably stop at the Pokemon Center. I want to exchange some of my Pokemon real quick." Paul said.

"Sounds like a plan. So which two guys are you going to get?" Dawn asked. (Thankfully she seemed to be in a better mood then earlier.)

"I plan on having Professor Oak send over Torterra and Drapion in exchange for my Weavile and Honchkrow." Paul said.

"Are you planning on using those two when we arrive at Lavender town?" I asked.

"I might or I might not. I just think it usually is smart to rotate your Pokemon around sometimes."

"That does make a lot of sense. Good Idea Paul." Dawn said.

We then headed to the Pokemon center, exchanged Paul's Pokemon, As soon as that was done, we then left Saffron City.

* * *

After a few days of traveling in the woods, we heard a noise coming from around us. It sounded as like a Pokemon moving in the bushes.

"Um guys, do you here that?" Dawn said sounding a little freaked out.

"It sounds like a wild Pokemon. Don't worry about it." Paul said.

"Hey lets go see what it is! It could be a super rare Pokemon!" I said excited.

"You always seem to jump to that conclusion. It may be rare but it may also be a weak and common Pokemon like Pidgey." Paul said.

"All the more reason for me to see what it is." I said. "Go, Bulbasaur!" I said as I sent out my Bulbasaur. "Use Razor leaf on those bushes!"

Bulbasaur then sent out bunch of leafs and hit the bush.

"Gon!" We heard the Pokemon say as we saw a small blue looking Pokemon with short arms and an iron head.

"Huh, what Pokemon is that?" I asked confused at what Pokemon appeared.

"No idea." Dawn said shrugging.

"Hmm, that's interesting. Who would've thought we'd find a Pokemon like that in Kanto." Paul said.

"Paul do you know what kind of Pokemon that is?" I asked Paul.

"Obviously. I'm shocked that you two have never even heard of it. That Pokemon is a Bagon. They end up evolving into a powerful Pokemon known as Salamance." Paul explained to us.

"Really?! Man that sure would be a great addition to my team. I gotta catch it." I said as I took out my Poke Ball.

"You just caught a Pokemon Barry. Let Paul and I try to get it." Dawn said.

"But I saw it first!" Barry argued.

"You might as well let him try Dawn. Besides knowing him, he'll mess it up anyway." Paul said.

"I suppose your right." Dawn said laughing, but even though I could tell they were joking it still bothered me a little.

"Bulbasaur lets show them how we win. Use Energy Ball!" I said.

Bulbasaur fired its attack but the Bagon jumped out of the way to dodge the move.

"That didn't work. Okay then lets try using Razor Leaf!"

Bulbasaur fired a barrage of leafs, but Bagon shot out a Flamethrower attack and it burnt down all of the leafs and hit Bulbasaur directly.

"Bulbasaur get up and use Sludge bomb!" I said.

Bulbasaur fired a few balls of sludge, but the Bagon dodge it by jumping up in the air. Suddenly the Bagon started to get surrounded by blue aura that took the shape of a dragon. The Bagon then rushed into my Bulbasaur and knocked Bulbasaur out.

"That attack was Dragon Rush." Paul said amazed.

"Darn it! Listen you stupid Bagon, I'm gonna catch you and we'll then I'll use you to help to defeat all of the Kanto Gym Leaders!" I said as I put my Bulbasaur back into its Poke Ball.

The Bagon suddenly looked really annoyed at this.

"Hey Barry that Bagon looks mad at you for some reason." Dawn said.

"Yea it'll be very angry after I catch it. Go Xatu!" I said as I sent out psychic bird Pokemon. "Use Shadow Ball!"

Xatu created the Shadow Ball but before it had a chance to attack, the Bagon fired a Flamethrower straight into the Shadow ball and caused it to explode while it was still in Xatu's hands.

"Darn it! That is one powerful Bagon." I said annoyed as my Xatu stood back up.

The Bagon suddenly looked into the air and fired a meteor up into the sky. The meteor broke into multiple smaller meteors and they stared raining down on. A lot of them hit Xatu.

"Xatu get up!" I said as Xatu stood back up to its feet.

"Gon!" The Bagon said annoyed. The Bagon suddenly turned and left.

"Hey get back here you coward or I'm gonna fine you!" I said but the Bagon didn't come back.

"Wasn't that final move Draco Meteor?" Dawn asked.

"I know that. I saw that move being used about a million time by Ash's Gible." I said.

"Something doesn't add up." Paul said.

"What do you mean by that?" Dawn asked.

"Don't you think it's weird that we would find a Bagon around here? There not exactly common. Even if they were, don't you find it strange how strong it is. It seemed to know when to use specific moves. Pokemon don't learn these things from being raised in the wild."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" I asked.

"You're trying to tell us that the Bagon isn't wild!" Dawn said.

"It is wild. Or better yet it's wild now. I think this Bagon was once owned by another trainer." Paul explained.

"That makes sense. No wonder that Bagon seemed to be so well trained." Dawn said.

"But if it once was owned by another trainer then why is it on it's own? I doubt that any trainer would abandon it." I said.

"Maybe Bagon's trainer never abandoned it. Maybe the Bagon just choose to leave it's trainer. Situations like these are uncommon but they still happen once in awhile." Paul explained.

"So this Pokemon abandoned its trainer and went to live on it's own. Why would it do that though?"

"Maybe the Bagon thought its trainer was unworthy." Dawn suggested.

"…Maybe or maybe it's something else. I have a theory that I want to prove. In order to test this out, I need to go and attempt to capture the Bagon myself." Paul said.

"Hey no fair! I'm not through battling it yet!" I complained.

"You already had your turn to try to catch it. Now it's my turn." Paul told me.

"Paul's right Barry. We should let him go. So what's you theory Paul?" Dawn asked Paul.

"Well you two will have to wait and see won't you." Paul said with a small smirk as he went off to try to find the Bagon. Dawn and I quickly followed after him.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

It didn't take us long to find the Bagon. It was up on top of a cliff staring into the sky. We then snuck up the Cliff and hid behind a tree so the Bagon wouldn't notice us.

"I had a feeling it would be up there." I said quietly to Dawn and Barry so the Bagon wouldn't hear us.

"Why did you think that?" Dawn asked me.

"Bagon always dream of flying one day. They will usually go up into high places and attempt to jump off cliffs."

"But a Bagon could never fly." Dawn said.

"True. But when Bagon's fully evolved into Salamance then they become these huge dragons with wings."

"Wow that sure sounds cool. I bet a Pokemon like that would help any trainer." Dawn said.

"It would. Well I'm gonna go attempt to catch it now." I said as I stepped out in front of the Bagon.

The Bagon turned to see me and growled a bit.

"Wow that Pokemon seems to have an attitude. Maybe you should catch it Paul, you two would be like brothers." Dawn said giggling.

"Shut up! Drapion stand by for battle!" I said as I sent out my huge scorpion Pokemon.

"That's a smart move. Paul's Drapion was able to take out three of Ash's guys and it also weakened his Gliscor and poisoned his Infernape. Paul should be able to win this easy." Dawn said.

"Drapion use Cross Poison!" I commanded.

Drapion fired the Poison attack but the Bagon jumped over it. After the Bagon dodged the attack, it got the blue aura around it and I knew it was using Dragon Rush.

"Drapion wait for Bagon to get close to you and when it does, catch it with your tail!" I said.

The Bagon rushed straight toward my Drapion's head but Drapion ducked at the last second. Drapion then took its tail and caught the Bagon with it.

"Now fire Cross Poison!" I said as Drapion fired out the poison attack in the shape of an X. The Bagon got hit head on with the blast.

"Good job Paul! Keep it up!" Dawn cheered.

"Drapion slam Bagon on the ground!"

Drapion then took its tail and started to repeatedly slam Bagon on the ground.

"Gon1" The Bagon said in pain. Suddenly the Bagon looked up into the sky and fired its Draco Meteor into the sky. The meteor broke up into its smaller meteors and they started to pelt my Drapion with meteors. While my Drapion was taking damage from the Draco Meteor, the Bagon fired a Flamethrower attack and hit Drapion. Bagon then used this chance to escape from Drapion's tail.

"Whoever owned that Bagon earlier sure did train it well. It's hard to believe that that Bagon is such a strong battler." Barry said.

"Yea but have you noticed." Dawn asked Barry.

"Noticed what?" Barry asked.

"Well although the Bagon is extremely powerful, it looks as if it isn't enjoying the battle. For some odd reason it looks like the Bagon is only battling because it has to not because it wants to." Dawn said.

"So you've noticed it too." I said. I then turned and went back to focusing on the battle. "Drapion use Crunch!"

Drapion went up to the Bagon and bit down on it with great power. The Bagon was then got stuck in Drapion's mouth. It was moving around and trying to escape but it was stuck.

The Bagon then stoped moving around and it started to calm down. It looked as though it was trying to think of a plan to escape from Drapion's mouth. Suddenly, the Bagon fired a Flamethrower and hit Drapion in the face with it. Drapion opened its mouth in pain and then the Bagon was able to escape.

"Not bad. Drapion use Pin Missile!" I said as Drapion fired a bunch of small needles at Bagon. Bagon then spun around and fired its Flamethrower to counter all of the Pin Missiles.

"Wow that looked a lot similar to the Counter Shield Ash used. It's shocking that this Bagon is able to create moves like that on its own." Dawn said.

"Drapion, return!" I said as I called Drapion back into its Poke Ball.

"Paul why are you calling back your Drapion? I know it took some damage but I'm sure you'd still be able to capture that Bagon!" Barry complained.

"What would be the point? There's no point in me capturing it because it would just run away. I'm starting to think that this Bagon hates battles, that's why it left its old trainer."

"So what are we gonna do. Will we just ignore it?" Barry asked sounding annoyed.

"Stop whining. Look I have no intention of letting this Bagon go. It has too much skill. I'm just saying that it would be pointless for me to catch it. Even if it didn't run away then I still think this Bagon would hardly put in any effort to win. It just hates to battle." I said.

"I don't get what you're saying. One minute you're talking about how we cant catch this Pokemon because it hates to battle and the next your saying that we cant let this Pokemon go." Barry said confused.

"All I'm saying is that you and I can't capture this Bagon. However…" I turned to Dawn. "…I'm certain this Bagon would obey Dawn just fine. So go catch it." I said to her.

* * *

(Dawns POV)

I almost couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Paul are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Like I said, that Bagon has no heart for battling. If Barry or I caught it then it would only get in the way. It might compete in contests though."

"I guess your right. Some Pokemon just hate to battle and would rather compete in Pokemon contest. Ash's Aipom was like that and my Buizel was the opposite of that. That's why we traded Pokemon." I said.

"Whatever just go and catch the Bagon before it has a chance to escape." Paul said, walking bct towards us.

"Right!" I said as I walked up to the Bagon. "Bagon listen. I can tell you hate battling don't you." I said, trying to show it I didn't mean it any harm.

"Gon!" The Bagon said as it nodded its head to show it was saying yes.

"Well listen, I don't battle. I'm a Pokemon Coordinator. I enter Contests that involves my Pokemon giving a performance. It's actually a lot different from battles and a lot more fun." I said with a grin.

"Hey that's a matter of opinion and I'd have to disagree on that!" Barry complained.

"Please shut up!" Paul said annoyed.

I then looked at the Bagon. It defiantly was looking interested in what I was saying.

"Okay since I seem to have your attention then I think I'll show how Coordinators work with their Pokemon. Go Buneary!" I said as I sent out my small rabbit Pokemon.

"Gon!" The Bagon said as it started to watch what I was gonna do.

"Is Dawn gonna Battle that Bagon now?" Barry asked.

"Oh yes. Dawn's gonna go and battle the Pokemon that hates battling that'll definitely get the Bagon to trust her." Paul said sarcastically. "Use your head! If she just attacked Bagon then it would most likely run away."

"So what's she gonna do then, put on a show for the Pokemon?" Barry said jokingly.

"That's my plan. I'm gonna show that Bagon how fun it is to compete in Contests." I said with a grin.

"I was only kidding! How is that gonna work?" Barry asked.

"Just let her try it her way. If it works then you really have no reason to complain." Paul said simply.

"All right Buneary lets start this off by using Ice Beam on the ground!" I said as my Buneary froze the whole ground on the cliff top.

"Gon!" The Bagon said in amazement.

"If you thought that was cool then watch this. Buneary start skating on the Ice!" I said.

Buneary started to skate on the frozen Ice. Buneary moved around in circles at great speed. I noticed the Bagon was jumping up and down out of excitement.

"It looks like it's in a good mood. Okay Buneary lets finish this up. Smash the ice by using Dizzy Punch!" I said as Buneary jumped it the air and started punching the ice in order to break it. When Buneary was done, Buneary had carved all of the Ice into a picture of a Bagon. "Good job Buneary. Return." I said as I put Buneary back into her Poke Ball.

"Gon Bagon!" The Bagon said happily as it jumped up and down.

"You see that Bagon. That's what Coordinators do. So does it look like fun?" I asked.

The Bagon nodded to show me it thought it looked like fun. It had also stopped jumping.

"Well looks like you got the Bagon's attention. Now I think it'll have no problem letting you catch it." Paul told me.

"Yea I guess everything did work out huh. So Bagon you want to join my team?" I asked as I walked up to the Bagon.

"Gon Bagon!" The Bagon responded with a grin

"Wow, I've never seen a Pokemon so excited about Contests. I can tell that you will be a great addition to my team." I said. I laughed a bit at how excited Bagon seemed.

"So are you gonna catch it or what?" Barry said impatiently.

"No need to worry. I was just about to do that." I said as I took out my Poke ball.

Before I even had a chance to throw the Poke Ball, Bagon jumped up and hit the button on the Poke Ball. Bagon then went inside the Poke Ball and I watched as the ball shook a few times and then shut.

"Well it looks like I caught a Bagon." I said as I held out the Poke Ball up high.

"Pip Piplup Pip!" Piplup said, jumping up beside me.

"Caught might not be the right word. It kinda just went inside the ball." Paul said.

"Hey whatever works. Now let's get off of this cliff." I said as I started to walk. Suddenly, I slipped on the ice that my Buneary made and I then landed on my back. "Ow! That hurt."

"Don't tell me you forgot about the ice your Buneary made. Geeze you need to be more careful." Paul said to me as I noticed him rolling his eyes.

"I was just being a little careless. No need to worry I'm fine." I said as I tried to stand up but I slipped on the ice once more. "Can you two help?" I asked embarrassed.

"Well Barry looks like we're going to have to help her." Paul said as he and Barry both carefully walked over to me. When they got to me, they each took one of my hands and pulled me up.

"No problem klutz." Paul said.

"Please cut it out." I said.

"Whatever, lets just get of off this mountain before you slip and fall again. We don't want you to get another bump like the one that's on your head right now." Paul said

"Bump? What are you talking about?" I asked as I felt my head. I then felt a big bump on the back of my head. "Aw man this stinks. Now I have this stupid bump on my head."

"I'm sure it'll go away after a week or so. So just calm down." Paul said.

"Yea calm down Dawn. No need to worry." Barry said quoting me.

"Lets just get down." I said. We all walked down from the mountain and went back into the forest. We then continued on our path to Lavender Town."

"I wonder if we'll ever meet up with the Bagon's original trainer." Barry said at one point.

"It really doesn't matter if we do or if we don't. Either way the Bagon went with Dawn." Paul said.

"I still wish I could've caught it though." Barry said sounding a bit sad.

"How many times must I tell you, if you or I caught it then it would just run away form us!" Paul said.

"I know all that but I'm still disappointed." Barry said.

"Sorry Barry. I'm still glad to have this new Pokemon on our team." I said as I took out Bagon's Poke Ball.

I stared at it for a minute and I was glad to have such a good new addition who I knew would try its best. But also I was glad to have such a determined Pokemon and a new friend.

To Be Continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Well we hope you enjoyed this chapter._

_Barry: And you got a new Pokemon plus I got my next badge._

_Dawn: Yep today was a good day. Thanks Paul for letting me catch it._

_Paul:It would've been no help to me either way._

_Dawn: Whatever I'm sure Bagon will be a great addition. to my team._

_Paul: Whatever. Since your busy getting excited about your new Pokemon then I guess I'll say your line. Thanks for reading todays chapter. Leave a review to let us know what you think of it or what you think of Dawns new Pokemon. See you all next time._

_Dawn:You gotta put more emotion into it when you say it._

_Paul: No._

_Dawn Okay fine. Well like Paul said we hope you enjoyed it and see you all next time. Right Bagon?_

_Bagon: Ba. Bagon_


	19. Chapter 19 A New Rival Kai

_Hey everyone heres the next chapter. So a few things before this chapter._

_First of and most important, this chapter features two new OC's. As the name of the chapter states, one of these two characters will become important and even become a rival of one of the main characters. Also the idea of these two characters came from Jackpot2 so all credit for these two guys goes straight to him. So be sure to let us know what you thought of these two character in a review cause I wanna know what everyone else thought of them._

_So I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I think this one came out really good and it was actually a lot of fun writing this one._

_Well I think I've wasted enough of your time heres the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it._

* * *

**Chapter 19 A New Rival, Kai!**

(Paul's POV)

We had been traveling for a few days and we were getting closer to Lavender Town. We had continued to walk through a forest and despite running into a few weak wild Pokemon; things had been pretty boring so far.

"Man, I'm starving!" Barry blurted out.

"Wonderful, thanks for sharing that." I said annoyed.

"Cut it out Paul! Besides I really am hungry. We should stop here and make some lunch." Barry suggested.

"I gotta side with Barry on this one. I'm staring to get pretty hungry too. So what do you say Paul. Why don't we stop and make some food. Now's as good a time as any." Dawn said with a grin.

"Fine. We'll stop to eat. This is just a good chance to get some training done." I said.

"Or you could sit down and eat with us like normal friends do." Dawn said annoyed.

"Not hungry." I said. Suddenly my stomach started to growl.

"What was that you just said? I was having trouble hearing you over the sound of you're growling stomach." Dawn teased.

"Quiet! Fine I guess I'll stay and eat as well." I said annoyed at her.

"Okay well let me just set everything up." Dawn said.

She then took out some pots and a small towel that she laid out on the ground. She then grabbed some wood that she found around the forest and set them up. Finally, she took out some food that she was going to cook.

"Oh no." Dawn said annoyed.

"What's wrong Dawn? Did you lose anything?" Barry asked.

"Well not exactly. A few days ago, I picked some fruit but it all went bad. It's too bad, because I wanted to try out this new recipe Zoey told me about." Dawn said disappointed.

"Well do you want me to go pick some fruit from around here?" Barry offered.

"Well that's a good idea but could you go do it instead Paul." Dawn asked as she turned to me.

"Why do I have to go?! Wasn't Barry the one who said he'd go?" I said annoyed.

Dawn then walked up to me and started whispering in my ear. "Are you sure we can trust Barry with finding good fruit? He might go and pick some that went bad awhile ago." She told me.

I suddenly turned and started walking away. "I'll be back as soon as I find some fruit that Dawn can cook." I said.

"Hey, you sure? I can go instead." Barry said.

"I'll be fine, trust me." I said as I walked away.

* * *

I searched all around but I couldn't find any fruit that was ripe.

"Darn it, every tree I see here either has nothing, has rotten fruit, or has fruit that has already been eaten by some wild Pokemon. This is such a pain. You'd think that out of a million trees, at least one of them would have some fruit that you could actually pick." I said out loud.

I continued to look around for another ten minutes, but I was unable to find anything.

"At this rate, I'll have to head back to Dawn and Barry and let them know that there was no good fruit." I complained, looking over to a tree with rotten fruit. "One things for sure though. It was definitely a good idea that we didn't send Barry to get any fruit. If we did then he probably would've picked the first ones he saw and then we would've been stuck eating either rotten fruit or fruit that was already half eaten by wild Pokemon." I said to myself.

As I was about to turn back empty handed, I saw a huge thunder attack go into the air. It came from far away but I could tell it had to have come from an Electric-type Pokemon that was really powerful.

"What on earth was that? I may as well go and check it out." I said as I started to head toward the lightning. I figured I might either see some good fruit on the way there or if I was really lucky find a wild Electric-type Pokemon. Of course I doubted that any Pokemon could've been that powerful and yet still being wild but then again we did run into that Bagon a bit earlier.

* * *

It took me several minutes to arrive at the location. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any fruit on the way there but what I did find amazed me.

The first thing I saw was a Luxray but I also saw it with a Trainer so it clearly wasn't wild. The thing I saw next was the interesting sight. Surrounding the Luxary and the Trainer were at least 20 different Beedrill but the thing was they were all knocked out. I waited behind a tree and looked at this Trainer a bit more, still shocked at how he took down all of those Beedrill. To be honest I probably could've done the same but I would've had to end up using one of my more powerful Pokemon since Beedrill were vicious.

_Don't tell me this kid just somehow took out all of those Beedrill by himself?_ I thought to myself.

"I guess we must've passed a Beedrill nest or something while looking for Tori because they just attacked us out of the blue. Still maybe we were a little bit to ruff on all of these Beedrill right Luxray?" The Trainer said.

As I studied him a bit more I noticed that he was the same age as me. He had spiky brown hair with a red hat over it, and emerald green eyes. He was wearing a red jacket with a black shirt underneath, blue jeans, and red-white sneakers.

"Lux!" The Luxray said as it suddenly turned to the tree I was behind and it started to growl.

"Huh? What's wrong Luxary? Is someone near?" The Trainer asked his Pokemon. He looked over where it was growling. "Hey if you're hiding then you can come out. Believe me Luxary already has noticed you." The kid said.

I then stepped out from behind the tree. At first I didn't say anything. Then I looked at the Luxray and spoke. "So it was able to sense me and it defeated all of those Beedrill. It must've been trained well." I said.

The Trainer the smiled at this. "Thanks. I trained Luxray since he was a little Shinx and he's quickly grown to becoming one of my most powerful Pokemon. So um why were you hiding exactly?" The trainer asked.

"I could see the Thunder attacks from far away and I wanted to see what was going on. I only hid because you two seemed busy." I admitted.

"Oh is that so well thanks for that. So what's your name?"

"Paul. I come from the Sinnoh Region. I'm guessing you come from the Sinnoh region also since you have a Luxray." I guessed.

"You'd be wrong there. Believe it or not I come from the Hoenn Region. I just found this guy abandoned by his old Trainer who thought he was weak. I ended up taking him in and he quickly grew to becoming one of my most powerful Pokemon. We even defeated that old Trainer in a round of the Hoenn League. So I guess we showed him huh." The Trainer explained.

"Yea I guess so. Things usually go that way don't they." I said remembering to my battle with Ash in the Sinnoh League.

"Oh right I forgot to introduce myself. My names Kai. Nice to meet you" Kai said as he held out his hand. Which I ended up shaking.

"So if you're from the Hoenn Region then why are you in Kanto?" I asked.

Before I could get a response, I felt something tap my shoulder. I looked around, and to my surprise I saw what looked liked me, except he was smiling a wide grin. I stepped back in shock, with a million questions going through my mind.

Kai however, didn't seem fazed by the sudden appearance of another me. In fact, he actually smiled and walked up to the second me. "There you are Zorua. I've been wondering where you were."

"Zorua?" I said surprised, before the imposter me laughed an inhuman laughed. It then did a back flip in midair as it glowed in a purple light. When the light died down, a grey fox with some red and blue eyes was in its place.

"Kai! Zorua!" I heard a voice say. I looked behind Zorua and saw a girl around my age running up to us. She had long silver hair, tucked back by a blue headband and cerulean eyes. She was wearing a purple jacket over a white shirt, black shorts that went past her knees, and purple shoes.

"Yo Tori. Where did you run off too?" Kai asked the girl.

"I was searching for some Wild Pokemon habitats around this area." Tori then finally took noticed of me. "Hello there. Who are you?"

"Paul." I said simply.

"Nice to meet you Paul. My name is Tori." Zorua then ran up to Tori's right shoulder. "And this is Zorua."

"Arf Arf!" Zorua said.

"That Pokemon doesn't look like it's from any region I'm familiar with." I said staring at the Pokemon who only moments ago transformed into me. "But more on that later. Back to my previous question Kai."

"Oh right. Here let me show you." Kai said as he took out a case and opened it. Much to my surprise, I saw two Frontier Symbols in it.

"So you're taking on the Battle Frontier." I said.

"Yea. To be honest you're the first trainer I've met since coming here that actually knows what it is. You'd think something like this would be a little more popular but I haven't been able to meet any other trainers who have earned a single Symbol."

"You just did." I said as I took out my case and showed Kai my two Symbols.

"Huh. Hey you got two Symbols also. Bout time I met someone who is also challenging and beating these Frontier Brains. One things for sure though, they sure now how to put up a tuff battle."

"Cant disagree on that one. Both of the Trainers I've battled were extremely powerful and I just barley beat them. So which two did you face?" I asked half wondering if he faced Tucker yet.

"So far I've face Spencer and Tucker. Who have you faced?" Kai asked me.

"Noland and Greta."

"What are the odds? Those were the next two Kai was planning on challenging." Tori said.

"Yeah. Hey if it's not too much trouble could you give me some tips on how those two battle?" Kai asked.

"Very well. But I happen to be heading to battle Tucker so I'll give you advice if you give me some." I said making the offer.

"No problem. Right Luxray?"

"Lux!"

"Sounds like a deal to me."

I then suddenly remembered that Dawn and Barry were probably still waiting and I was willing to bet that Dawn would be ticked that I was taking so long.

"Oh no." I said bothered.

"What is it?" Kai and Tori asked.

"The two people I'm traveling with sent me to get some fruit for them and they are going to be mad when they find out that I couldn't find anything." I explained face palming.

"Hmm that is a problem." Kai said in thought before snapping his fingers. "I know! Luxray think you could help out?" Kai asked his Pokemon.

"Lux!" The Luxray said as it started sniffing around.

"What is it doing?" I asked.

"When it comes to finding anything, there no Pokemon as good at it as Luxray. Trust me, if there's any good fruit around here he'll find it." Kai said proudly.

Luxray stopped at one tree, looked at Kai and just nodded its head.

"Well this tree should have some fruit in it." Kai said.

"Lets see. Drapion come on out." I said as I sent out my Drapion.

"Drap!"

"Wow! That Drapion looks strong!" Tori said impressed.

"See if you can reach up that tree and get any fruit." I said.

Drapion grabbed a bunch of fruit and gave them to me. I then took an apple and took a bite out of it to see if it was ripe.

"Taste fine." I said. "Thanks."

"Well, I was glad I could help. So are you gonna head back to your friends?" Kai said.

"Yea I should. But I still intend to tell you the information. Plus I hate being in debt to someone who helped. So if you want you can come along." I said.

"Really well I guess so. Thanks." Kai said.

"Does that include me too?" Tori asked.

I sighed and answered her. "Yes, it does, as long as you tell me how your Zorua was able to turn into me."

"Sure thing."

"No problem. Follow me." I said.

I, Kai, and Tori started heading to where Dawn and Barry were. On our way there I told Kai a little bit about Dawn and Barry.

"To be honest they sound a bit like Mat and Ashley." Kai said after I told him about Dawn and Barry. "Oh right I should probably tell you that those two have been my friends since we were little kids. We all grew up together in Hoenn."

"Well I never heard of Ashley but we've ran into Mat before."

"Really how'd you meet him?" Kai said surprised.

"He was hanging upside-down in a tree."

"Oh. Yea that sure sounds like Mat. As for Ashley I bet you'll meet her since your friend Dawn keeps entering Contests. You see Ashley's a coordinator too."

"Is that so? If you three are all such great friend then why don't you travel together?"

"Oh we did but only when we all lived in Hoenn. After that, we all went our separate ways. It wasn't that we hated each other or anything. It is just that we were all so different in personalities. That and Mat wanted to battle me everyday. Now don't get me wrong there's nothing I enjoy more then a battle but it jets really fun when you face different people."

"I understand. Barry is always challenging me to battles. It actually gets very tiring after awhile." I said. I then shifted my attention to Tori. "So what's your story?"

"I'm actually from the Unova Region. It's pretty far from here, so I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of it." Tori said.

"That would be true, but I have heard of it from an old rival of mine. He's traveling there now to compete in the Unova League."

"Then I take it you already know that it's rare to find Pokemon from other regions there." I nodded. "Well that's why I'm on this journey. I want to learn more about Pokemon outside Unova and hope to someday compete in various competitions held throughout the different regions."

"That explains the Zorua, but how come it could transform into me?"

"Let's just say its Zorua's trademark Ability." She answered winking.

* * *

We continued to walk for a few more minute until we finally arrived at were Dawn and Barry was waiting.

"Paul, what took you so long?! I swear I should fine you!" Barry said but then he noticed Kai and Tori. "Hey who the heck is that?"

"Wow you weren't lying when you said he fines people for every little thing." Kai said.

"Sadly no I wasn't."

"Who are these two?" Dawn asked.

"They helped me find this fruit you wanted so much. Their names are Kai and Tori."

"And this here is my partner Luxray.' Kai said, introducing his Pokemon. I noticed that Zorua wasn't on Tori's shoulder anymore, and had seemed to disappear.

"Oh. Well then hello Kai, Tori. Thanks for putting up with Paul's rotten attitude and agreeing to help him find some fruit." Dawn joked.

Kai laughed a bit at this, while Tori smiled. "Oh it wasn't a big deal." He said.

"But we did kinda owe him after almost freaking him out." Tori chipped in.

"Whoa. You freaked out Paul?! How?" Barry asked in shock. He felt someone tapping his shoulder and saw another him smiling at him. "AH! IT'S AN EVIL CLONE!" He shouted, falling on his back. Everyone laughed at his outburst, while I cracked a smile.

When they all calmed down, Dawn realized something. "Hold on a minute, is that a Zorua?"

"Yep." Tori replied. The imposter did a midair back flip before it glowed purple, transforming back into Zorua.

"I knew it!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly.

"Piplup Pip!" Her Piplup said.

"Dawn, how do you know about Zorua?" I asked her.

"On our way to the Sinnoh League, Ash, Brock, and I encountered one and its parent Zoroark. It's a long story, but maybe I'll tell it to you guys someday."

"Fair enough." I shrugged.

"So why are they here?" Barry asked.

"I figured since they helped me find this fruit then the least we could do is repay the favor by letting them eat with us." I explained.

"Wow Paul, I gotta say that was surprisingly very nice of you." Barry teased.

"Forget the fact that Paul was being nice. I'm more shocked that he was able to make a friend without me and you here to help, let alone two." Dawn teased.

"Will both of you shut up?! Besides if I didn't invite them then I bet that you would've just lectured me about what a terrible person I was." I said annoyed.

"Would not!"

"I think you would." I said.

Kai laughed at this. "This brings back memories of when I traveled with Mat and Ashley." Kai said with a grin.

"Huh, did he say Mat?" Dawn and Barry said at the same time.

I then explained to them that Kai and Mat were both from the Hoenn Region, and that Tori were from the Unova Region. I also told them how I met them and that Kai was also challenging the Battle Frontier just like me.

"Is that so? Well it's good to see that Paul isn't the only one challenging this thing." Dawn said with a grin. "Now if you guys don't mind I'm gonna start making lunch."

"All right! I'm starving!" Barry said happily.

"Well don't worry I'm just about to start cooking." Dawn said. She then reached into her bag and put on a cooking Apron.

"Why is it you always where that? I doubt Brock wore something like that when he cooked for you and Ash." I said.

"He actually did once in awhile. Besides my mom gave me this before I left to travel with you two. She said someone had to cook for you guys." Dawn said with a grin

"Whatever." I said deciding not to fight with her. She then started to cook.

"I could help if you need nay. It's the least I can do." Tori offered.

"That would be great. Thanks."

* * *

Dawn cooked for about ten minutes while Tori assisted her. They then brought out a bunch of Pokemon food.

"Oh yea I forgot Pokemon first." Barry said disappointed.

"Pokemon work hard to win battles for their Trainers. The least we could do is let them eat before us." Kai said.

"He's right on that one." Tori said.

"Right! So all of you guys send out your Pokemon. I made plenty of food." Dawn said.

"Okay. Come on out everyone!" I said as I sent out all of my Pokemon.

"You guys join us too! Barry said as he sent out all of his Pokemon.

"Alright everyone! Lunch is ready!" Dawn said as she did the same as Barry and I. All of our Pokemon appeared in the same spot, giving off their respective cries.

Kai just stood there for a minute.

"Hey aren't you gonna send out all of your Pokemon?" I said.

"Well I have my own Pokemon food I can give them, so there's no need to bring them out." Kai said.

"Look it's really no big deal. Dawn made enough food to feed 30 Pokemon so unless you have a Snorlax, go ahead and send out your guys." I said.

"Well I don't have a Snorlax. Okay then." Kai said.

"Then I'll bring out mine too. I'm sure they'll be happy seeing some new faces." Tori said.

"Let's just hope they don't eat too much."

"He's polite unlike two other people I know." Dawn joked.

"Ash wouldn't like it if you're talking bad about him behind his back." Barry said.

"Barry just shut up." I said to him.

"All right! Come on out gang!" Kai said as he sent out his full team to join his Luxary.

"You guys join them too!" Tori said, sending out her team to join her Zorua.

They all appeared in the same spot, but I could tell whose Pokemon were whose. On Kai's side, he had a Blaziken, a Swellow, an Azumarill, a Crobat, and a Glalie. On Tori's side, she had a full team of Pokemon I didn't recognized, consisting of a white swam with some blue, a light green bug on two legs, a purple feline, a red monkey, and a black squirrel with yellow cheeks.

"Not a bad team." I said.

"Thanks." Kai said.

"What Pokemon are those?" Barry asked, pointing at Tori's Pokemon.

"They're Swanna, Leavanny, Purrloin, Darumaka, and Emolga."

"They all look so adorable!' Dawn squealed.

"Your Pokemon are cute too Dawn. Especially you're Deerling. How did you get it?"

"A friend of mine gave me a Paul a Pokemon Egg. Mine hatched into Deerling, while Paul got Eevee.

I looked over all of Kai's Pokemon. "You know, I actually used to own an Azumarill." I said to Kai.

"Really, that's cool. So what happened to it?"

"I kinda gave it away."

"Why'd you do that?" Kai asked sounding a little annoyed at this.

Dawn then walked up to Kai. "Paul used to be a really cold hearted person. His Azumarill lost to a Rock-type Gym so he gave it away. But before you get mad at him, believe me when I say he's changed. He even admits his mistakes from the past." Dawn whispered in Kai's ear. I was able to hear what she was saying but I decided not to say anything.

"I wasn't going to yell at him or anything. I could actually tell Paul is a good trainer right now. There are certain things you can tell about a person from the moment you meet them. And besides if Paul was really an evil person then my Luxray would've attacked him. He kinda hates bad people." Kai said with a grin.

I could tell they were trying to whisper this but I was still able to hear them. _Have I really changed and even if I have, did it make me stronger or weaker._ I thought to myself.

Dawn then finished handing out food to all of the Pokemon and then went back to cooking for us.

She ended up making some fruit Muffins along with some normal sandwiches.

"Here you guys go." Dawn said.

"I take it these Muffins are what Zoey taught you how to make?" I said.

"Yup. Nothing gets by you Paul. So try them and tell me what you think."

I then took a bite out of one of them. "Pretty good actually." I said.

"Did you just complainant on her cooking." Barry said shocked.

"Shut up." I said, as Dawn laugh a bit.

"I take it that's another rare occurrence in the daily life of Paul?" Kai joked.

"Almost as much as you using your head for once outside of a battle." Tori teased.

"Hey!"

We all ate our meals and finished quickly. I then decide to look at how Kais Pokemon acted.

Kai's Blaziken which was clearly his starter Pokemon seemed like the leader of the group. It looked really confident and watched the rest of Kais Pokemon carefully.

Kai's Swellow kept on flying around at great speed and it seemed like it kept on trying to get faster by training hard.

Kai's Azumarill was playing with my Eevee and Dawn's Deerling by bouncing them on its tail. It seemed to be a really kind Pokemon. I couldn't help but wonder if it was a powerful battler.

Kais Crobat was flying around and playing tricks on the other Pokemon. It seemed to mostly enjoy annoying Kai's Glalie.

Kai's Glalie seemed to get angry really fast from Kai's Crobat. This surprised me since Ice type Pokemon are usually some of the calmest Pokemon out there.

"Crobat stop bothering Glalie and Glalie please try to calm down." Kai said, but to no avail as they kept on fighting with each other. Suddenly, Kai's Blaziken stepped in, jumping in-between both Pokemon.

"Blaz Blaziken Blaziken!" It said, probably telling them to behave. Crobat and Glalie shared a glance, before both Pokemon relented.

"Those two seem like trouble." I commented.

"Yea they always fight like this. It's defiantly a pain. But I'm still glad to have them on my team. Besides, I have Blaziken to keep them in line." Kai said.

"Right so how bout I tell you a bit about Greta's battling style." I said changing the subject.

"Yea that would be a huge help." Kai said.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

While Paul and Kai were talking, Buneary was playing with Bagon when she tripped and crashed into Azumarill, knocking back Eevee and Deerling. Azumarill got up, angered, and stomped over to Buneary.

"Azu Azumarill Azu!" It said which I can only guess means "Watch where you're landing!"

"Bun Bun Buneary!" Buneary said, now angered. Both Pokemon stared each other down so hard to the point you could see sparks coming from they're eyes. Piplup tried to break them apart, but got knock backed by Azumarill's tail.

"Piplup, what's wrong?" I asked running over.

"Piplup must have gotten caught in-between that." Tori said, pointing over towards my Buneary and Kai's Azumarill arguing with each other.

"Oh no. Buneary stop that!" I tired to order her, but she didn't listen.

Blaziken walked over to us, and pulled apart the two bickering Pokemon, but even then they still weren't listening. But then Swanna flew above us and glowed a faint blue aura, which seemed to calm down Buneary and Azumarill.

"That was Aqua Ring right?" I asked Tori.

"Yeah. Swanna's Aqua Ring is usually used to calm down feuding Pokemon when Blaziken isn't enough." Tori explained.

"Too cool. I'm sure that would be helpful in a Pokemon Contest."

"You think so? I've never competed in a Contest before since Unova doesn't have them. I heard there a lot of fun."

"They are! I could tell you a little about them if you'd like." I said smiling.

"Sure, that would be great.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

I noticed how Dawn and Tori were getting along as well as how good Paul and Kai were getting along. "Man this sucks everyone is talking with their new friends but me. Right Empoleon." I said as I turned around and much to my disappointment Empoleon wasn't near me. instead it was relaxing and taking a nap.

I looked up in the sky and Saw Skarmory and Xatu flying up here with Kai's Swellow and Tori's Emolga and Pauls Honchkrow. They looked like they were trying to race with them but they were slower and falling behind.

"Hey Xatu and Skarmory, you two better speed up or else I'm gonna fine you two!" I yelled half laughing.

I then looked around and saw how Dawns Bagon, Piplup, and Buneary were playing with Tori's Swanna and Purlion and Kai's Azumarill. (Allthough Kai's Azumarill and Dawns Buneary still seemed to have a bit of an attitude towards one another.)

For some reason, Paul's Torterra and Drapion were trying to sleep ( Probobly cause they always trained so hard.) However, Kais Crobat kept pulling pranks on them. It defiantly had a good sense of humor.

Paul's Eevee and Dawns Deerling were playing together as usual and they soon got joined by Tori's Zorua.

My Bulbasaur, Pauls Charmander, and Dawns Squartle were all relaxing together when TOri's Leavanny started to come and join them.

Tori's Darumaka was training with my Hitmonlee and Dawns Ambipom.

Kai's Blazekin was mainly just standing at the side watching all other Pokemon.

"Man I gotta say all those Pokemon are getting along so good. And it looks like Paul and Dawn are getting along with Tori and Kai… Those jerks why is everyone having a good time but me. Man I feel left out and out of place at the moment. I swear all of you guys are gonna get fined!" I said annoyed

* * *

(Paul's POV)

I then told Kai all about Greta as well as what Pokemon she used.

"I see so she specializes in Fighting-type Pokemon." Kai said.

"Yea and her Infernape is the biggest problem." I told him.

"Well you two sure are getting along well." Dawn said with a grin.

"Be quiet." I said.

"Sorry. I'll stop." Dawn said laughing a bit.

"Is he always this cheery?" Tori whispered to Dawn, obviously being sarcastic.

"Mostly, but he does has his moments." Dawn said back, both girls sharing a laugh.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Barry asked both girls.

"Nothing!" They said in unison, before laughing again.

"Geeze, So anyway, I told you about Greta, what about Tucker." I asked.

"Where do I begin with him?" Kai said in thought, crossing his arms. "Well he's defiantly an unusual trainer but don't let his weird appearance or his weird personality cause you to underestimate him. He uses his Swampert and his Arcanine in a Double Battle and boy does he know how to put on a performance. He's really strong and if you have no experience with Double Battles then you're in trouble."

"Well that's bad news for you Paul. When was the last time you've been in a Double Battle?" Dawn asked.

"With you on the boat, remember?" I said.

"That doesn't count. You had my help back then. When have you ever been in a Double Battle by yourself?" Dawn asked sounding concerned.

"Cant remember." I said

"That's not good. You need to get used to them quickly otherwise you won't stand a chance." Kai warned me.

"Look I'll be fine. And besides it'll just be another battle."

"No it won't. Tucker makes his opponents work with their Pokemon. You need to learn how to bring the best out of your Pokemon as a team." Kai said.

"I appreciate the advice, but I'll be fine. I'll do things my way and you do them yours." I said to Kai.

"Look I'm trying to help you. Just trust me okay."

"If you two disagree so much then why you don't have a battle to decide who's correct." Tori suggested.

"That might work." I said.

"Definitely. I wanted to see how good you were anyway. But let's make this Double Battle with both of us only using two Pokemon." Kai said.

"Agreed lets start right now." I said as me and Kai walked over to an open plain were we could battle. By then, all of our Pokemon but Piplup and Zorua were recalled back into their Poke Balls.

"So are you ready to begin?" Kai asked.

"I'm ready."

"I'll ref if you guys want." Dawn suggested.

"That's fine." I said.

"Right, this will be a Double Battle between Paul and Kai. The battle will end when both Pokemon on one Trainers side are unable to continue." Dawn said.

"Drapion, Torterra, stand by for battle!" I said as I sent out my two Pokemon.

"Go Azumarill and Luxary strike!" Kai said.

_So he's using those two Pokemon huh. That's fine my Torterra has a type advantage against both of them._ I thought to myself

"Begin!" Dawn announced.

"Luxary use Thunder Fang on Drapion!" Kai said.

Luxary ran up to Drapion and bit down hard on it. After Luxary hit Drapion, Luxary then jumped back to get away.

"Drapion fire Cross Poison on Luxary!"

"Azumarill Jump in front of Luxary and use Protect!" Kai said

Drapion fired its Poison X, but it was in vain because Azumarill jumped in front of Luxary and protected both Pokemon with a green barrier.

"Torterra use Leaf Storm on Azumarill!" I said

"Luxary take the hit for Azumarill!" Kai said.

Luxary knocked Azumarill out of the way and took the hit instead. It still did damage to the Luxary, but it didn't do nearly as much damage as it would've to the Azumarill.

(Dawn's POV)

"Why would Kai have Luxray take the hit?" I asked Tori.

"Knowing Kai, he's got something up his sleeve. He's all about protecting his Pokemon in Double Battles.

(Paul's POV)

"Time to pay you back for the damage you just dealt. All right Luxary use Ice Fang!" Kai said.

The Luxary ran toward Torterra and was about to bite down on it.

"That's not gonna work! Torterra use Frenzy Plant!" I said as my Torterra began to glow green and it then slammed its two legs on the ground as giant roots came up and they hit Luxary dead center. The roots then held Luxary in the air and Luxary was unable to finish its attack.

For some reason though, Kai still looked calm. "Azumarill lets help Luxary out. Use Ice Beam" Kai said.

The Azumarill shot out a beam of ice and hit Torterra straight in the face. Because of the damage Torterra took, it lost focus and the Luxary was able to escape from the Frenzy Plant. After Luxary escaped it came down and used Ice Fang on Torterra just like it was originally gonna do.

"Darn it!" I hissed.

"See what I mean? In Double Battles you have to make your Pokemon work together otherwise you'll never defeat Tucker." Kai warned.

"Shut up! Drapion use Poison Sting!" I said as Drapion sent out its needles at Azumarill. They all hit Azumarill dead on and it took some damage but was still standing strong. Suddenly I saw Luxary appear behind Drapion.

"What?!" I said.

"Wow that Luxray's really fast!" Dawn said impressed.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Tori said smirking.

"Now go Luxary, use Thunder Fang!" Kai said as his Luxary bit down on Drapion.

"Drap, Drapion!" Drapion said as it struggled to stand back up.

"Darn it! Torterra use Earthquake!" I said.

"Bad call! Luxary, Azumarill, you guys know what to do!" Kai said.

Before Torterra had a chance to use Earthquake, Luxray ran up to Azumarill and Azumarill then hoped onto Luxray's back. Luxary then jumped into the air to dodge. Torterra then fired its Earthquake but Luxary and Azumarill were to far up so they were able to dodge it.

"How is that possible!?" Dawn asked sounding shocked and to be honest I was too.

"There's no way a Luxray can jump that high up!" Barry exclaimed.

"I made sure I taught my Luxary how to jump so high that it was able to dodge any Ground-type attacks. So now your attack misses, but that's not the worst part!" Kai said.

I then saw my Drapion take major damage from the Earthquake attack. Drapion then dropped to the ground but it was able to stand back up barley.

"You gotta be carful of you own attacks in Double Battles. They can hurt you as much as help you." Kai said simply.

"Wow Paul really is bad at Double Battle's." Barry said.

"He's just not used to them. I guess he never really had to worry about watching two of his Pokemon at once." Dawn said.

"That's an important factor when in a Double Battle. And Kai has been going easy on him the entire battle.

"He has?!" Barry asked shocked. Tori just nodded her head.

"It's been fun but it's time to end this. Luxary jump in front of Azumarill and Azumarill use Surf!" Kai said.

_What? Why would he purposely hit his own Pokemon with his move? _I thought.

Luxary jumped in front of Azumarill and then Azumarill used its Surf move. The Surf slammed into Luxary and then went onward to hit Torterra and Drapion. By the time the water went away, all three Pokemon were soaked and Luxary had been knocked right in front of Drapion and Torterra.

"Now go Luxary use Thunder!" Kai said.

Luxary then sent out a powerful Thunder attack and hit Drapion and Torterra dead on with great power. Luckily, since Torterra was a Ground-type, it took no damage. However, since Drapion was soaking wet from the Surf, Luxary was able to deal major damage to it.

Drapion then went down and was unable to continue.

"Darn it! Torterra use Earthquake again!" I said.

"Don't give it a chance. Luxary lets end this with Ice Fang!" Kai said.

Before Torterra even had a chance to use Earthquake, Luxary had already appeared in front of Torterra and bit down hard on it with its Ice Fang. I then watched as Torterra fell to the ground and stayed down.

"Torterra and Drapion are both unable to continue. This makes the winner Kai!" Dawn said.

"Torterra, Drapion return." I said, recalling my two Pokemon.

Kai then walked up to me. "See what I mean? Tucker is just as good with combinations, if not better. You can't just rely on your Pokemon individually. That's the secret to winning Double Battles. You need to learn this Paul because if you don't then you will never defeat Tucker no matter how hard you try. That's the truth." Kai said.

"Hey Kai I know you won but that doesn't give you the right to act above him. Paul has his own way of battling." Dawn said.

"I know this but I'm only trying to be help."

"That may be but you're just sounding harsh telling Paul that he'll never beat Tucker unless he changes his style."

"It may sound harsh, but that's just Kai's way of giving advice." Tori said.

"But he's right." I said. Dawn, Kai, Barry, and Tori just stared at me. "If my style was good enough then I would've won hands down. Although I hate to say it Kai was right today."

Kai grinned at this. "I see well then I take it you'll start thinking of ways you can make you Pokemon work together." Kai said.

"That's right. Just you wait. I'm gonna beat Tucker. Just make sure you don't lose to Greta. The next time we meet, I intend to have a rematch with you."

"Definitely and I'll be looking forward to it." Kai then looked at Dawn and Barry. "Thanks for allowing us to eat with you guys." He then turned to me. "Good luck Paul. Trust me if you can figure out some good combinations then I'm certain you'll beat Tucker."

"Right. I'll work on that." I said.

"Hey Dawn, I've been thinking and I might just give Pokemon Contests a try." Tori said to Dawn.

'That's great. I wish you the best of luck. Hope to see you at a Contest soon." Dawn said, extending her hand.

"Me too." Tori said, shaking Dawn's hand. "Oh hold on, before I forget I wanna give you something." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a red watch similar to the Poketch, but more advanced. "This is the Xtransceiver, a device we use in Unova to keep in contact with other people. I want you to have it."

"Thanks Tori." Dawn said, taking the watch and looking at it.

"My number is already in there, so we can keep in touch."

"Amazing. I'll take real good care of it."

"Well, we better be off. Kai said as he and Tori turned and left. I then looked at Dawn and Barry.

"Come on we still have to get to Lavender Town." I said.

"Of course." Dawn said with a grin. "And no need to worry Paul. If there's one thing a Coordinator is good at, it's creating combinations so I'll be happy to help you train."

"Very well." I said simply.

"Still who would think that we'd meet someone who was challenging the Battle Frontier just like you? And to top it off, I now have a new friend from Unova. So I guess you got yourself a new friend and a new rival." Dawn said.

Friend maybe." I said and then paused for a minute. "Rival definitely." I said.

Kai beat me today but I intend to beat him the next time we meet. This must've been why Ash constantly wanted to challenge me to battles. After all, it's easy to be the better rival but after you lose for some strange reason you just wanna beat the guy.

_Ash I finally understand and I intend to beat you too when we have our rematch._ I thought remembering my old rival. After all nothing reminds you of your old rivals then making some new ones.

* * *

(Kai's POV)

"So do you really think Paul can get better at Double Battling before he battles Tucker?" Tori asked me as we were walking by a river.

"Hard to say, but if he's that determined then he might have a chance. He's got power and skill, now he only need's to work on combining that together." I said with Luxray by my side.

As we kept walking, Luxray and Zorua both started growling and looked off to the side.

"Huh, Luxray what's the matter?"

'Is something wrong Zorua?"

Tori and I both looked across the river and for a split second we saw a person staring right at us, before a harsh wind swept over us. When the wind vanished, so did the person.

"Kai, did you just see what I see?" Tori asked a little nervous.

"I think so." I said as we saw a helicopter flying above us, though it was barely noticeable.

To Be Continued.

* * *

_Well thats the chapter. Let us know what you think of it and of the little cliffhanger at the end._

_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope you enjoyed the two new Characters Kai and Tori._

_Please let me know what you thought of these two characters in a review. _

_Once again I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and see you next time when things start a little more interesting lets just say._


	20. Chapter 20 Enter team Alpha

_Hey I'm back with the new chapter. Sorry it took awhile I've been busy with school and also I've been busy cause I started writing a second fanfic about Kingdom Hearts. Anyway in this chapter we'll have Paul face a new opponent but not Tucker yet. Still this is a pretty important chapter so I hope you enjoy and again sorry for the wait, I'll try to be faster. Anyway with that said lets start with this chapter and I hope you like it._

**Chapter 20 Enter Team Alpha**

(Paul's POV)

After my battle with Kai, I've been training really hard for my match with Tucker. It took a little over a week but I was able to get the hang of Double Battling. Anyway, we had finally arrived in Lavender Town too.

"Well we're finally here. You ready for your battle?" Dawn asked.

"I still intend to train for another day at least before I battle this Tucker guy." I said. "Now come on, we should head to the Pokemon Center." I said as we headed toward the Center and then entered it. We healed our Pokemon and sat down to discus a plan for my battle with Tucker.

"So lets see, if I remember correctly then didn't Kai tell us that Tucker use's a Swampert and an Arcanine? So what two do you plan on using?" Barry asked.

"I'm going to be using Torterra and Drapion. Those are the two I've been working with and those are the two that I've been able to come up with some combinations." I said.

"Well that sounds like a good idea. After all it wouldn't be smart if you tried to use two guys that you haven't gotten use to yet." Dawn said

"Well thanks for pointing that out captain obvious." I said with a smirk, fueled by Dawn's anger from the comment. "Plus if I use Torterra then I'll have a counter for both of Tucker's Pokemon and also I'll be able to use Drapion to poison his team. Besides…"

"Besides what?" Barry asked.

"…I have another plan just in case."

"When did you come up with a plan and what is it?" Dawn asked.

"Is it really that much of a surprise that he came up with a plan in secret?" Barry remarked dryly, by now having been use to my planning ahead of time.

"Exactly, trust me it'll work. This battle's in the bag." I said confident.

"I hope so. Just don't get over confident." Dawn said, noticing the confidence in my voice.

"I don't intend to get overconfident I'm just saying I have a plan." I said.

"Excuse me but did I over hear you three talking about challenging Tucker?" We heard a Nurse Joy ask as she walked over to us.

"That's right. I'm currently planning on taking on the Battle Dome." I explained.

"Really, well then I think it's only faire to warn you that he's an unpredictable Trainer who uses strong combinations to throw off the focus of his opponents. To win you'll have to remain calm and keep a cool head in battle." Nurse Joy warned me.

"Thanks, but I already know all of this. I already met someone who had already defeated Tucker and he gave me some advice on how to deal with his battle strategy. Believe me, I have a plan." I said.

"Is that so? Well then I wish you the best of luck." The Nurse said with a smile.

Suddenly the doors opened up and we saw a man dressed in a really weird purple and white outfit come in.

"Ah speak of the devil. Hello there Tucker. How are you doing today?"

"Simply fantastic Nurse Joy! I was just visiting and I decided to come in and see if any new challengers have come to challenge me! After that marvelous show that boy Kai put on it has made me eager to face another skilled trainer!" Tucker said with energy.

"As a matter of fact you came in at just the right time. This boy said he would like to have a battle with you." Nurse Joy said, gesturing to me.

"Is that so? Well let then me get a good look at him." Tucker said as he walked up to me and looked at me for a minute. "Well now isn't this quite the marvelous surprise. Forgive me if I'm mistaken but aren't you Reggie's younger brother? You look like him." Tucker asked.

"That's right I am."

"Well then this is simply fantastic! I must say your brother put on a fantastic show when he faced me. I hope you have the same skills as him."

"Don't worry, I do and I've been creating a good strategy for this battle. I plan to win." I said determined.

"Well I certainly hope you will put up a good fight. Now before we have our battle you will have to be interviewed first obviously."

"Interviewed?" I said confused, arching an eyebrow.

"But of course! Surly Reggie must have told you all of my battles are like a big show. We will battle inside a stadium and it will of course be full with hundreds of fans who will have come to watch our battle!"

"Sorry, but I wasn't informed. Reggie didn't exactly talk much about his journey through the Battle Frontier after he returned home. All he did was quit being a Trainer and he them chose to become a Breeder." I told him, thinking back to the day my brother gave up on his journey

"Really? I never would've thought that. Oh well, lets make it a fantastic battle either way!"

"That all sounds fine but can we skip the interview. I'm not really into those kinds of things." I said.

"I'm terrible sorry but the interview is crucial! It helps the fans learn about whom I'll be facing. So could you please go through with it?"

I sighed. "Fine. I still don't see why though they all probably don't even give a shit about me." I said.

"Hehe well you are defiantly an…interesting trainer. Well I'll look forward to our battle! We should have it as soon as possible." Tucker said.

"Well that sound good I suppose." I said simply.

"Nurse Joy it's an emergency! People are attacking the Pokemon tower!" A trainer screamed as he came running into the center so fast that he almost tripped over himself.

"What?! Who would do such a thing?" Nurse Joy said sounding worried.

" I have no idea who these people are! I've never even seen these guys before!"

"Darn it!" Nurse Joy said. She then turned to us. "Look I know you all just arrived here but can you three please help us? That tower is special to us!" Nurse Joy said.

"Don't worry Nurse Joy! Allow me to deal with this! I'll be right on it!" Tucker said as he ran out.

"We should get going too. I intend to help out unless you two disagree and if you do then I swear I'll fine you!" Barry said.

"No need to worry. I'm used to handling criminals like these creeps. Don't forget I used to battle with Team Rocket all the time so I'm ready. Are you coming Paul?" Dawn asked as she faced me.

"It really doesn't concern me. But…"

"But what?" Dawn said annoyed.

"But I suppose I really couldn't say no even if I wanted too, otherwise you two would find some way to drag me into this. But before we go…" I then turned to Nurse Joy. "Do you have any idea why a group of criminals would attack the Pokemon Tower?" I asked.

"No I don't. People used to never go in it because they were afraid that it was haunted, but we later found out that it was just some Ghost Pokemon who made a home there, so people started visiting it. It ended up becoming a fun place to go and it also kinda became a landmark of Lavender Town. You see we always spread rumors that this town is haunted but in reality it isn't. As for what's inside of the tower well I have no idea." She told me.

"That's fine. We'll find out anyway once we get there, so could you give us some directions on how to get to this tower?"

"Of course. Just go north of this town and you should arrive in a few minutes. It looks like a huge mansion. Believe me you'll know it when you see it."

"Good, then we should get going. Dawn, Barry come on." I said as Dawn, Barry, and I all left the Pokemon Center and started heading for the tower.

* * *

We quickly arrived at the Pokemon Tower and just like Nurse Joy said, we knew it was the right place because of the way it looked. We saw Tucker waiting outside.

"So you three have finally decided to show up. Splendid!" Tucker said.

"Why are you waiting out here?! Shouldn't you be inside already?" I said coldly.

"But of course! I would be inside but I had to battle two of their grunts. I must say they were quit disappointing. After I defeated the two grunts, they ran inside. I'm guessing they went to warn their boss. I was about to head in but then you three showed up."

"Then I suppose we showed head in." I said.

"Sounds good!" Tucker spoke.

We then entered the tower and it indeed looked haunted. Just being in the place gave you the chills, but I wouldn't admit that. There was dust everywhere and it felt like the place was truly abandoned. I knew that we were told earlier that this place wasn't haunted but if I wasn't told this then I might have even been a little nervous…A little.

"Wow, th-this pla-pla-pla-place su-sure is sc-scary." Dawn stuttered sounding terrified.

"What's wrong with you? You know this place isn't haunted."

"I know that bu-but it's st-still creepy." Dawn said.

"Want me to hold your hand so you're not afraid." I said sarcastically.

"Knock it off you jerk! I'm scared okay!" Dawn shouted.

We then continued to walk through the tower. We saw some stairs and we then started to climb them. We kept on walking up the stairs and kept on going up different floors for what felt like hours (Plus it didn't help that Dawn kept on screaming at every little sound)

"I gotta say for a tourist attraction this place sure is spooky." Barry commented.

"Well it is meant to scare the visitors and according to Dawn it's doing a good job." I said, sparing a small glance at her frightened form. "Still it's weird."

"What's weird?" Barry asked.

"This place has been quiet and true it has been a little creepy, but if you think about it shouldn't we have run into some of these criminals by now?"

"You make a good point, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. There's only one more flight of stairs and once we reach the top then we'll just have to face the enemy up there." Tucker said.

"Then lets go." I said.

We then walked up the final flight of stairs and we arrived at the top of them. When we got to the top we were surprised to see what we saw. For the most part the room was empty except for a fireplace located at the end of the room. The fireplace was huge, about the size of an adult. The creepy thing wasn't the fireplace though. It was the fact that there was a man standing in front of it. The man wore a light green shirt and light green pants. On his shirt was a strange looking A symbol. He was bald and he seemed to have a calm face almost as if he was expecting us.

"Well you idiots finally showed up." The man said calmly.

"Who the are you." I asked.

"Me? I'm just a low class grunt. But I suppose you could call me Han." Han told us.

"Wonderful. Now what exactly are you doing here and whom are you working with?" I asked annoyed.

"And while where at it, where are those other grunts I faced earlier?" Tucker asked, looking around for any sign of them.

"If you mean those two weaklings then their long gone. They left once they informed me about you guys. Also do you really think I'd be stupid enough to reveal all of our plans so soon." Han sneered. "As to what where doing here, that's something you'll have to find out. As our master always says "you must wait until latter in the story before you reveal the true plot. If you don't then the story is just pathetic." He said coldly.

"Right…If you ask me then you and whatever group your a part of all sound nuts to me." I said.

"I must agree on this. You people are being fools for attacking this tower." Tucker said.

"That may be but I'm not stupid enough to reveal our plans to you, but I'll tell you losers what though. I'll be so kind as to let you know the name of our organization. We're a group of criminals known as Team Alpha. For years we've been hiding in the shadows waiting for the right time to make our move and now is the time to act!" Han stated, raising his hands in the air, before he pointed to the symbol on his shirt. "We all wear this outfit with our team's symbol on the front of our shirt as proof of our loyalty."

"Now that we know who you are, why don't you explain what purpose you have for attacking the tower?" Tucker asked.

"Like I said, I have no intention of telling you anything, unless of course you try to make me." Han's taunted.

"So be it!" Tucker said as he stepped up. He then grabbed his two Poke Balls and he threw them into the air. " Swampert, Arcanine, lets show them our combinations!" Tucker said, releasing his two Pokemon.

"Interesting, now it's time for you to meet my two Pokemon. Go Houndoom and Vigoroth!" Han said as he sent out his two Pokemon.

"You three stand back. I'll handle this." Tucker spoke, his arm outstretched in front of us.

"Very well. It's not our battle anyway." I said. "Besides this should be interesting to watch."

"Arcanine use Extreme Speed!" Tucker said as his Arcanine rushed into the Houndoom.

"Darn it. Houndoom use Crunch on Arcanine!"

"Use Extreme Speed to dodge the attack!" Tucker said as his Arcanine got out of the way by using it's Extreme Speed to hit Houndoom once more and then escape before Houndoom got a chance to bite down on it.

"Vigoroth use Slash on Arcanine!"

"Swampert get in the way and hit Vigoroth with Hammer Arm!"

Vigoroth went to hit Arcanine but Swampert got in the way and swung it's fist down on Vigoroth.

"Vigoroth grab onto Swampert so it can't move and then Houndoom use Flamethrower!"

Vigoroth grabbed hold of Swampert so the Swampert couldn't move. Houndoom then fired its Flamethrower.

"Arcanine get in the way and take the hit instead!" Tucker said as Arcanine jumped in front of Swampert and took the hit instead but for some reason Arcanine took no damage instead it just looked as though it powered up. "My Arcanine has the Ability Flash Fire. This allows my Arcanine to be immune to all Fire-type attacks and it also increases my Arcanine's power." Tucker explained before he shook his head. "So far this battle has been quite disappointing. Now Swampert and Arcanine lets show them our combinations! Swarmpert use Water Pulse and Arcanine use Fire Blast!" Tucker said as his Swarmpert fired it's Water Pulse to trap the two Pokemon in a water twister and then Arcanine fired it's Fire Blast to deal major damage and finished off the two of the Pokemon at once.

"No way! He won so fast and in such a beautiful way." Dawn said amazed.

"Yea one things for sure. Kai was right when he said this guy was strong." I admitted.

"No way. How did he win so fast?" Han said shocked.

"Simple, I train hard but the real credit goes to my marvelous Pokemon. They are extremely powerful with their fantastic combinations. That is something you lack. You just rush into battle and you fail to work in a team with your Pokemon. That is why you lost!" Tucker said

"Sure sounds familiar right Paul?" Dawn said with a smirk.

"Zip it! Now this man should tell us were the rest of his team is." I said.

"Not gonna happen! I'll surrender willingly but you won't ever get me to rat out my fellow members." Han said quietly.

"Geeze, this guys gonna be a pain won't he?" Barry deadpanned.

"In that case could I ask the three of you to take him back to Lavender Town? We should take him to Officer Jenny for questioning." Tucker said.

"Barry should be more than enough for that." I said.

"Not a problem, but what about the rest of you?"

"I'm not one for sitting quietly. If there's anymore members hidden in this place then I intend to find them." I said. "If Dawn wants to go back she can. After all she seems scared." I added with a smirk.

"I'll be fine!" Dawn said defiantly, but noticed her knees buckling a little. "Besides I want to see were these guys are hiding."

"Fine, you can stay. Just don't get in the way and try not to get scared to bad." I told her before addressing Barry. "So we can trust you not to mess this up, right Barry?"

"No worries. I'll be fine. This guy won't escape from me. Go Bulbasaur!" Barry said as he sent out his Bulbasaur. "Use Vine Whip on that guy!" Barry said as Bulbasaur swung its vines around Han so Han couldn't move.

"Smart move on your part. Now there's no way I can escape." Han said calmly.

"Don't try anything funny." I warned.

"Stop talking like you were the one to beat me. Besides I'm a man of honor. I lost and I will come quietly. It doesn't make a difference though; the higher ups will defeat all of you pathetic Trainers. Now then can we get going to Lavender Town? These vines are so uncomfortable." Han said calmly.

"Barry be careful. Make sure he doesn't try anything funny." I said.

"Leave it to me. Lets all meet up at the Pokemon Center by tomorrow the latest." Barry said.

"Sounds good. " I said as Barry left the tower with Han.

"Are you sure that we can trust Barry with this?" Dawn asked sounding worried.

"He'll be fine. I'm sure he can handle something this simple. Besides he's not as dumb as he looks. He just dose dumb things sometimes."

"Aw! You do consider him a friend. How nice of you." Dawn said happily.

"Now's not the time to talk about stuff like this!" I said embarrassed. I then turned to Tucker. "So what's the plan on finding these guys? Where do you think there hiding?" I asked.

"Hmm this is defiantly a troubling situation." Tucker said with his hand on his chin. "I know! I'll search the lower floors and you two can search the higher floors." Tucker said.

"Alright then." I said as Tucker headed downstairs.

I started off by exploring the floor we were on but the only thing there was the fireplace.

" There's nothing up here." I said as I turned to search a lower floor.

"Wait a minute Paul! We should check inside this fireplace. It looks like a grown man should be able to fit in here so the two of us should fit perfectly." She said.

"What would be hidden in a fireplace?" I asked annoyed.

"Well if we keep touching the bricks then maybe we could find a switch or something." Dawn suggested.

"Hmm, well I have no better ideas so we'll try things your way." I said annoyed.

The two of use went into the fireplace and surprisingly enough it was big enough for both of us to fit in and have room to move around.

We searched the fireplace for a few minutes until I pushed down on one of the bricks in the wall and it suddenly it went in like a hidden switch.

"Oh no." I said, mentally faceplaming myself for what I just did.

"Did you find anything Paul?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, I found a-" Suddenly a trap door opened below us and we both fell down.

We fell for what felt like a few minutes until I finally hit the floor. However before I had a chance to get up, Dawn landed on top of me and knocked me back down to the ground.

"What was that? Where are we now?" Dawn asked as she started freaking out.

"I can't tell but maybe I could if you would get off of me!" I said annoyed from under her.

"Huh…Oh no sorry bout that Paul!" Dawn said as she stood up and got off of me so I could stand up too. "I just fell and I guess you were there."

"Don't worry about it." I grunted, looking around the room. The big problem was that this room was so dark that I couldn't even see Dawn who was standing right next to me.

"Paul, am I the only one who can't see anything in here?"

"Nope, I can't see a single thing either."

"Just great. I'm scared enough as it is and now I can't see anything! Man this place is so freaky!" Dawn said sounding freaked out.

"If you were going to get so freaked out here then you should've gone back with Barry. I warned you didn't I?"

"Yeah, fine. But how are we gonna move if we can't even see?" Dawn said.

"There's actually a simple solution to that. Charmander, stand by!" I said as I sent out my Charmander so its tail could give us some light.

"Ah good job. Now we can-" Dawn was about to say but then she froze.

Surrounding use were a bunch of Gastly.

"What is this?" I said shocked

"I don't know but it's scary." Dawn said shaking.

However the Gastly didn't attack, instead they just faced forward.

"We should go on ahead." I said.

"Are you crazy? Who knows what else is up there. I don't want to see what other kind of ghosts there are."

"Look just calm down." I said but she looked really afraid. _This is bad. We need to move on but she's just so afraid. Man it she needs to get over this. Why is she so freaked out by ghosts?_ I thought.

"Look lets just try to head back!" She said frightened.

"That's not an option and besides I don't even know how to get back up to the tower." I said, but that only served to make her even more afraid. I sigh. "Look I can't believe I'm gonna do this but I need to move on." I said. I quickly grabbed her hand. "Look I swear that nothing bad is going to happen. I'll handle whatever is up ahead so come on." I told her as softly as I can.

Dawn just stared at me for a minute and then smiled. "Okay then, I'll trust you." She said still sounding a little scared.

"Lets go." I said calmly. "If we follow all of these Gastly then I'm sure we'll be fine. After all, if they wanted to attack us then they would've by now. That means we should go in the way they're facing. They are probably facing that way for a reason." I said as I noticed that it was funny how all of the Gastly were facing in one direction.

We then started walking. Dawn was still holding on tightly to, my hand, but she looked less nervous now. I wouldn't admit this to her, but holding her hand felt reassuring to me in this darkness. It felt like hours since we moved but it's really only been a few minutes.

"Man this hallway sure is long." Dawn said. She was sounding a lot calmer now.

"I guess so." I said, noticing something up ahead. Hold on a minute, I think I see a door down there." I said. We then walked toward the door.

"Wow. I wonder what's behind this door."

"I don't know but I doubt it was meant to be found out by people." I said.

"Yea you sure are right there."

"Well I suppose we might as well open it. There's gotta be something behind it."

"Okay then." Dawn said as she let go of my hand. I then pushed the door open and we entered the room.

Unlike the previous hallway, this room was bright and it was easy to see. The room looked and felt like an accent library (Probably cause it was one) Inside of the room was tons of books and at the end of the room was extremely old book but it was hard to see it because a man was standing there reading the book.

"Is that you Han?" The man asked as he turned around. He was a very tall man with short black hair, and looked at least three-twice the size of Dawn and me and. He wore glasses over his black eyes, and wore an outfit exactly like the one Han had on so I assumed he was also a part of Team Alpha.

"Who are you people." The man said sounding annoyed. " I could've sworn that Han was ordered to make sure no one got down here."

"We kinda took care of him." Dawn said.

_Last I checked we didn't do anything. It was Tucker who beat that guy._ I thought to myself. " So I take it your a member of Team Alpha as well right."

"Nothing gets past you does it. The names Sebastian and unlike that fool Han I'm actually one of Team Alpha's higher ups."

"So what exactly are you guys planning." Dawn asked.

"Han didn't tell you huh. Well that doesn't surprise me since he sure could keep a secret. I suppose that was one of his good qualities. Pity he was such a weak Trainer. I on the other hand am much more skilled."

"How can you say that about your own teammate?" Dawn yelled sounding angry.

"Please, it was his own fault he lost and besides he kept swearing over and over again that no one would get by him. But I suppose he forgot that a Frontier Brain was here. Either way I suppose even though he lost he still did his job. We did get what we needed." Sebastian said as he took the old book and put it in a bag he had. He then started walking toward us. "If you two don't mind I'll be leaving now."

"Of course we mind! You can't just come in hear steal something and then leave. Besides do you have any idea how freaked out I got trying to get here with Paul?! I swear I nearly died several times of fear and I'm not gonna let a group of thugs like you guys walk out without a fight." Dawn said. I could tell these guys for some reason seriously annoyed her.

"Aw isn't that cute. You were afraid of some little ghosts. Man what a little girl you are. Cowards who get scared and who can't battle are just trash. The only thing that matters is power and Pokemon that don't have it are worthless."

"Your wrong! You people are the trash! Talking about how power is everything. And I bet you guys treat your Pokemon like trash too. Don't you even care about your friends!"

"Friends? Please how pathetic. Who needs them when we are given the most powerful Pokemon we could ever need."

"That's it! If you're so confident then battle me now!" Dawn said annoyed.

"Our leader is already unhappy I even battled more then I needed to. There's just no point." Sebastian said. "Oh well I suppose I'll just leave. Come on out Jolteon and use Flash!" He then sent out the spiked electric evolved form of Eevee.

The Jolteon sent out an incredibly bright light that blinded both Dawn and I. We couldn't see anything for a few minutes and by the time our vision had returned, Sebastian was gone.

"Were did he go?" Dawn asked annoyed.

"He got away. Clearly there is an exit around here that neither of us knows about." I said. "I'm certain that if we look hard enough for the exit then we'll find one. Afterward, we'll just have to let Tucker know that we were unable to stop whoever was here."

"How can you talk like that? That Trainer ran away without even fighting us."

"True, but we still know so little about these people. I'm not even so sure if you could've won. Actually, I'm certain you would've lost. You seemed angry and that would've made you make brash decisions."

"…I guess your right." Dawn said sadly. "I'm sorry. It's just that people like him really get under my skin. All he cared about was power and to him his Pokemon meant nothing."

"We'll talk more about this after we get out of here." I said as I walked around the library. "Well would you look at this?" I smirked.

"What is it?" Dawn asked as she ran up to me.

"It looks like our little friend left the exit opened." I told her. I saw a hidden stairway opened where a bookshelf used to be.

"Huh? Why would he do that?" Dawn questioned. "Maybe he's not that bright. I mean he acted all tough but who knows." Dawn said.

"That's one option or here's a better one. I think his goal was never to keep us in here; instead it was just for him to escape. He was able to get out so fast I must say it's impressing. I'm willing to bet he's long gone by now. We should get out of here now." I said as Dawn and I walked up the stairs.

"Man, a staircase hidden behind a bookshelf. You can't get much more old fashioned then that." Dawn commented.

"Maybe, but don't forget this place is ancient." I countered.

We kept on walking until we came to a door so naturally I opened it. It led us to the first floor in the tower.

"Looks like we're back on the first floor." Dawn said.

"Yea. Well let's go find Tucker." I said calmly.

* * *

We walked around the tower for a few minutes until we found Tucker on floor above us.

"Ah you two are back. Did you find anything useful?" Tucker asked us when he saw us.

"Well we did but it's a bit of a long story." I said.

"I see well tell me everything you guys know." Tucker said.

Dawn and I then told Tucker about everything that happened to us.

"Hmm. I see this is certainly a problem. So the guy was able to escape at the last second."

"That's right and on top of all that we really don't have any more information on these guys. Although on the bright side it seems like they won't be returning here. Sadly though they successfully stole some kind of a old book." Dawn said.

"I've never even heard of this hidden room." Tucker thought out loud. "I'll look into it some more so you two don't have worry about it." He said before smiling. I couldn't possible thank the two of you and your other friend." Tucker said

"We really didn't help much. Besides the enemy still escaped." Dawn pointed out.

"Don't say that. You all helped and I'm incredible grateful for that. Now I intend to continue looking into these criminals more but first I believe I owe you a battle." Tucker said as he looked at me.

"And I can't wait to cash in." I said.

"I'm looking forward to it. Lets have our battle in a few days. It will give me time let the fans know about it. Well I'll have to be leaving now." Tucker said as he started to leave the Pokemon Tower. "If we learn anything else about these criminals then I'll be sure to tell you. As for now I must take my leave."

"So looks like you have your big battle in a few days." Dawn said with a grin.

"Looks like it. Now come on. We should head back too. Besides there's something I want to talk to you about." I said.

"Huh what is it?"

"I'll tell you on the way back."

* * *

We then left the Pokemon Tower and made our way back to Lavender Town.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Dawn asked.

"Why did you get so angry at that guy? You seemed really annoyed and unfocused."

"Why do you ask that? Are you worried about me?" Dawn asked with a small grin.

"Very funny but I'm being serious. What's wrong?" I asked once again.

Dawn remained silent for a minute before she spoke. "People like him tend to bother me. They never seem to realize how helpful their Pokemon are. They treat them like dirt and they never even try to adapt their Trainer style to help out their Pokemon. I guess I just got mad from hearing that guy talk. He was so obsessed with power. The worst part is that I know that if I faced him the way I was then I would've lost."

"That's true, but you need to stay calm in situations like those. We all have people we can't stand but if you lose your cool then your done for instantly." I said.

"Good point. Well even so, I'll just have to keep training hard and I'll show those jerks that caring about your Pokemon is a good training method." Dawn said with a grin.

"Good." I said before a thought came to me. "Still it seems strange. You say you hate people who treat Pokemon badly yet you agree to travel with me and Barry. Why is that?"

"I wonder myself." Dawn asked thoughtfully with a finger on her chin. "Maybe I just had a feeling that you were different or maybe I wasn't thinking at the time."

"The second one seems more likely."

"Cut it out. Either way in the end you had decided to change and become really helpful and kind."

"Whatever."

"Oh and by the way…Thanks for calming me down when I was scared back when we were in Pokemon Tower. I'm kinda scared of ghosts. Still you helped calm me down it kinda surprised me."

"…I only did it so we could move along. If I didn't then we'd still be in that Tower right now."

"Hehe. Go on and act cool but It still doesn't change what you did. So thanks I guess." Dawn said. She looked like she was blushing a bit.

"Whatever, it was nothing. But don't tell anyone about that. Especially not Barry or my brother or even Ash."

"Are you crazy?! If I told any of them then they would never shut up about it. As far as I'm conceded we won't speak a word of this to anybody."

"Sounds good. Now let's hurry up and get back. I have to win my next frontier symbol in a few days." I said

To Be Continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Well that chapter was interesting._

_Paul:I suppose. It was a pain in the but and now we have these guys to worry about._

_Barry: Hey every story needs a villain right?_

_Paul: Yea I guess so but still it's gonna be a pain now._

_Dawn: Yea but we'll win in the end._

_Paul: Hopefully. I just hope it doesn't get in the way of my training._

_Barry:So true. Still I found that one part when you held Dawns hand rather adorable. I never knew you could be so nice._

_Paul: Barry shut up!_

_Barry: I'm just saying it was funny._

_Paul: Thats it, your dead._

_Dawn: Anyway, We hope you enjoyed this chapter and once again sorry for the wait we'll try to be faster but the writers a bit busy writing this and his new Kingdom hearts fanfic but don't worry, we'll keep on updating. So no need to worry. Please leave a review to let us know how you think the stories going so far and we'll see you all next time._


	21. Chapter 21 Tuckers Tactics

_Dawn: Well it's time for your next frontier battle._

_Barry: You better not lose today._

_Paul: I have my plan all planed out and I will win._

_Dawn: No need to worry right?_

_Paul: As you would say no need to worry._

_Dawn: Good then cant wait to see it. Anyway I think we've wasted enough time heres the next chapter so lets start it._

* * *

**Chapter 21 Tuckers Tactics**

After the incident with team Alpha, we returned to Lavender Town and spent the rest of our time training. I was outside the Pokemon center going through the final preparations for my battle with Tucker when Barry passed by muttering the same thing he had said just ten minutes earlier.

"I still can't believe that guy from team Alpha got away so easily." Barry said.

"Will you shut it already? Forget about him for now, and if we meet up with that ass again, then we'll beat him. It's plain and simple." I barked at him.

"Besides, Paul has his battle with Tucker tomorrow, so he needs to focus on that." Dawn pointed out.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true." Barry trailed off as I shrugged.

"Well I guess I've trained enough for the battle." I said as I called Torterra and Drapion to their Pokeballs.

"Good idea, it's not good to think about a battle too much beforehand." Barry said, nodding his head as though he said something impressive.

"As if I need to hear that from you." I mumbled in reply.

"Hey, no need to get snappy." Barry said in his defense.

"Don't you have some kind of interview to do with Tucker before the battle?" Dawn asked. "Wouldn't want to look all worn out in front of a bunch of reporters."

"If I had it my way, then I wouldn't even be going to this stupid interview. Reporters are the biggest pain in the butt since they're so damn nosey." I replied, thinking back to the few times I had interacted with the paparazzi during competitions. They were truly irritating.

"True, but what are you going to do. Tucker said it's something everyone must do if they want to battle him." Dawn pointed out once again, gaining another shrug from me.

"On the bright side, you'll get to battle in a huge stadium again. You haven't done that since the Sinnoh League right?" Barry added.

"I could care less where we battle. It's not like it makes any difference to how I battle." I shot back at him.

"Hmm, whatever." Barry said with a grin.

"Ugh, cut it out. Look, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in a morning." I said as I briskly walked into the Pokemon Center, heading to my room. As I left the lobby of the building, I noticed that Dawn was trailing behind me.

"What do you want?" I asked her, glancing over my shoulder.

"Well, I was just thinking. You really hate interviews right?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I can you help you prepare for them. My mom used to get swarmed by reporters since she was a famous coordinator. I know how to deal with these guys." Dawn said, giving me a small grin.

"If it makes things any easier, then I guess I've got nothing to lose."

"Good, then I'll be glad to help. Rule number one, and the most important one. You have to tell them what they want to here. Believe me, if you tell them the truth, they'll just twist your words to make something the public will be interested in." She explained to me.

"Anything else?" I asked after she took a long pause. I didn't like asking Dawn of all people for help, but at this point, it was definitely better than getting annoyed by the reporters.

"Of course." She said happily.

For about an hour she began to ask me different questions about the battle and how I felt on certain matters. Eventually we noticed how dark it had gotten outside and decided to go to bed.

* * *

I got up early the next morning, planning to go over my plan one last time. Spotting Barry in his bed, sound asleep, I concluded that he must've come in last night after I finished practicing with Dawn.

"No point in waking him up yet. Might as well get some breakfast first." I said to myself as I threw off the covers to rise up from the bed. Changing into my usual outfit, I quietly left the room head down to the cafeteria to get a quick meal.

"You have a battle with Tucker today, right?" Nurse Joy called out to me as I passed through the lobby.

"Yes." I said with a nod. "But right now I have some interview to get to after breakfast."

"I know. Most trainers either get really excited, or just don't care. It looks like you fall under the 'don't care' category. Either way, I wish you the best of luck." She said to me as I gave her a simple nod of thanks.

After getting a quick breakfast, I returned to my room where I found Barry and Dawn waiting for me.

"Look who decided to show up." Barry said with a grin as I shut the door.

"I was getting breakfast." I replied.

"And you didn't bring any back for us." Barry exclaimed, motioning to himself and Dawn.

"Get it yourself."

"Fine." Barry muttered as he rose from the bed to the leave the room, adding 'Jerk!' before he closed the door behind him.

"Well I guess I'll go get ready for the big battle." Dawn said as she rose from the bed as well. "Pity that there's no point in me changing to cheer for you."

"Horray!" I said in a monotone.

"Oh, cut it out." She snapped at me. "I might as well start now since it could take all day."

"Better hurry, because I won't be waiting for anyone."

In a few minutes, both Dawn and Barry returned, looking as though they were finally ready to leave.

"Ready to go?" Dawn asked. I gave her nod in reply.

* * *

We headed to the Battle Dome, and jut as I feared, there was a mob of reporters waiting for my arrival.

"Now now, give them some space to breathe." A voice hollered, causing the wave of reporters to separate. The only person that could break up the reporters so easily was Tucker, and the voice happened to be his. "Hello there Paul, its good to see you made it. I hope you're ready for the interview."

"I suppose." I replied in a rather sullen manner.

"Wonderful." Tucker replied with a wide smile, ignoring my mood. "Follow me!"

Tucker led us into the ever famous Battle Dome, taking us to a large room where yet another crowd of reporters was seated around a desk. He motioned for Dawn and Barry to stay back before taking me to the desk where both of us took a seat in front of a microphone.

"Now then, Paul will answer any questions you have for him so let's get started." Tucker said, causing the room to go into an uproar as the reporters tried to gain my attention. It was up to him to select one of them for the question he would answer, but he had no idea who to choose.

"You." I said, pointing to one of them which silenced the crowd.

"Is it true that you battle Ash Ketchum during the Sinnoh League?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's true." I replied.

"Can we get a few comments as to what it was like?" The reporter continued.

"Looks like just knowing Ash is a big deal around here." Barry whispered to Dawn, getting a soft giggle from her.

"I didn't think much of it. Ash was just another opponent who I had to face, so I battle as though he was any other trainer." I replied before gulping. In truth that was battle was probably one of the best battles I had ever experienced, but there was no way I was going to admit that to all of these strangers.

I called on another reporter, causing them to rise up from there seat. "We heard that you met Tucker prior to this today. Can you tell us your first impression of him?"

I got the feeling that if I said he was pretty weird they would probably freak out, so I quickly altered my answer.

"Well I had the chance to help him out with the Pokemon Tower incident. That may have been the first time I had ever seen him battle, but I can tell that he is an extremely skilled trainer." I answered, feeling pretty good with myself considering how good that sounded.

"Do you feel that your previous battles in other leagues have helped you prepare to battle against Tucker?"

"They have. I wouldn't have experienced high pressure battles without opportunities like that." I responded. This was becoming pretty easy. All I had to do was tell them what they wanted to here, and they were done with me.

"How have your battles against other Frontier Brains been?"

"Each battle has its own challenges. I struggled in each battle and had to work for my victories. I'm certain Tucker will be no different." I stated.

"What's your strategy for defeating Tucker?"

I could feel my eye begin to twitch. Why would answer that question with Tucker sitting right next to me.

"Well I've been working with my Pokemon to create a few plans. But you'll have to wait and see for yourself." I said.

* * *

The interview continued for what felt like hours. They asked me all sorts of questions, to the point where I felt like they were starting to run out of good ones. One of them even asked me what my favorite food was. What the hell did that have to do with the battle?

"Okay, I believe that will be enough. We should give the challenge a little while to finish preparing for his battle against me." Tucker said, bring the interview to an end. Finally! Tucker turned to me, giving me another grin.

"You did a remarkable job." He said as the reporters slowly left the room.

"Yeah, sure." I replied after biting to my toungue to avoid saying something that the reporters didn't need to hear.

"That was great Paul!" Dawn called out to me, giving me a thumbs up. "See, there was no need to worry."

"Paul was actually worried about this?" Barry asked as though he was shocked. "I didn't think he had emotions!"

Barry fell over in a fit of laughter. He took his time laughing at me, but I would let him enjoy it for now. Giving him a dark glare, Barry's laughter came to a stop when he noticed my stare. He would pay for that during our next practice match.

"Well I'm going to go get ready. You and Barry should go find some seats in the stadium." I said as I rose from the desk to leave them.

"Got it." Dawn said, giving me a wave as I left.

"Paul, you better win, or at least put on a good show for me to watch!" Barry hollered.

Oh yeah, he was definitely going to pay for this later.

In about a half an hour, I found myself waiting in the lobby for Tucker who had told me that it was almost time for our match. I had gone over the plan one last time, and I was feeling pretty confident.

"So are you ready to begin our battle?" Tucker called out to him as he entered the lobby.

"Yeah, let's get to it." I stated as I joined him at the entrance to the stadium.

"Alright, follow me." Tucker said, motioning for me to follow him through the large double doors. Instead of heading down into the stadium itself, Tucker took me below the actual field where two small platforms awaited us.

"What are those for?" I asked.

"Just step onto it, you'll see." He said as he moved over to his own platform, jumping onto it. I did the same before looking up as the platform began to rise. The ceiling above opened up as the platform continued upward. The closer I got to the opening, the louder the chants of the crowd above became until I found myself standing in the bright lights that lit up the battlefield I would be battling on.

"Attention everyone, today yet another challenger stands before the Dome Ace Tucker, seeking to collect Tactics Symbol. But this trainer had quite a track record. He has taken part in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh Leagues. Not only has he taken part in each of these competitions, but he has gotten pretty far into each of them, proving that he is a trainer with worthy skills. Introducing Paul of Veilstone City!" The announcer said, motioning to me. The crowd roared as though this was the championship battle of a Pokemon League.

"Man, this is going to be a pain in the ass." I mumbled.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

Barry and I had gotten a pair of seats that were pretty close to the field, giving us a really good view of Paul and Tucker.

"Alright Paul, you better not disappoint me!" Barry yelled.

"I don't think he can hear you Barry." I said to him.

"What!" He shouted at me, putting a hand to his ear. The crowd was so loud at this point that we could barely hear each other, and we were sitting right next to each other.

"And now…our favorite Frontier Brain. You all know him as the Ultimate Tactician, the Dome Ace Tucker!" The announcer roared, now motioning to Tucker who began to wave at the crowd. "Everyone give him a big warm welcome!"

I was completely shocked to discover that the crowd could get even louder. This atmosphere was like nothing I had ever felt before.

"This will be a two on two double battle. The battle will end when both Pokemon on one side are unable to battle." The referee explained as the announcer stepped off the field. "Are you ready?"

Paul gave the referee a nod.

"Good, then before we begin, Tucker I'd like to ask you to reveal the Pokemon you'll be using." The ref said, looking toward Tucker who gave him a nod.

"Of course. Swampert, Arcanine, let's put on a marvelous show!" Tucker said as he released his favorite duo onto the field.

"I had a feeling he'd use his Swampert and Arcanine." I said to Barry who gave me a nod of agreement.

"It was also the two Pokemon that he used in Pokemon Tower. And Kai warned us about them too." Barry added.

"And now, I'd like to point out that you can use any Pokemon you're in possession off, including Pokemon you may have in your PC. So would you like to transfer any Pokemon now?" The ref asked, looking at Paul who took a moment to look down as though he was considering that thought of making a last minute change.

"Do you think Paul will switch?" Barry asked me, but I shook my head in reply.

"Not gonna happen. Paul's plan is based entirely around his Drapion and Torterra. He isn't crazy enough to try anything on the fly against someone like Tucker." I said in reply. Paul was nothing like Ash. He wasn't reckless or impulsive. He trusted his mind more than his heart.

"I'll stick with the Pokemon I've have right now." Paul replied, getting a nod from the referee who then motioned for him to release his Pokemon. "Drapion, Torterra stand by for battle!"

"Looks like we can finally get started." Tucker said as he raised his arms, gaining a roar from the crowd as the ref raised his flags. Once the flags dropped, that was signal for the battle to begin.

"Hey Dawn, random question." Barry said suddenly once the stadium had gone quiet again. "Did Paul tell you his plan beforehand?"

"Well, sort of I guess." I replied, unsure of what to make of what Paul had told me the night before. "He said he definitely had a plan for his Drapion and Torterra, but he didn't really go into the details."

"Man, it's just like Paul to be so secretive. Why can't he just tell us his plans, I mean, aren't we friends?" Barry mumbled.

"No need to worry. This is Paul we're talking about." I said to Barry. "He'll be fine, not to mention Paul has already had a chance to see Tucker's battling style while Tucker knows next to nothing about Paul."

"That could give Paul and edge." Barry noted. "But didn't Kai say that Tucker was unpredictable."

"He did. It won't be an easy battle, but all we can do is trust in Paul. He'll pull through." I said confidently to Barry. "Just watch, you'll see."

The ref lowered his arms, the flutter of the flags marking the beginning of the battle.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

"Drapion, use Cross Posion!" I shouted, pointing at Swampert.

"Swampert, use Protect" Tucker said quickly as Drapion rushed at Swampert with its glowing claws. Swampert raised its arms as a defense before a thick barrier formed in front of it, effectively blocking out Drapion's attack. "Arcanine, knock Drapion away with Extreme Speed!"

Arcanine crashed into Drapion at high speed, sending it tumbling away from Swampert who lowered its defense shield. Now that it had used Protect, it would be completely open for my next attack.

"Torterra, Frenzy Plant on Swampert!" I commanded.

"Swampert, jump into the air!" Tucker ordered in return.

Swampert sprung into the air just as several thick, thorn covered vines sprouted from the ground beneath it. But the vines continued to grow at an unbelievable pace, pursuing Swampert into the air.

"Now Arcanine, get rid of it with Fire Blast!"

Arcanine turned the Frenzy Plant into a smoldering pile of Ash in an instant, giving Swampert open space to land on without the threat of being hit by a super effective attack.

"Drapion, use Toxic Spikes." I said. Drapion quickly scattered several purple spikes all over the field around Arcanine and Swampert who unfortunately couldn't avoid stepping on the spikes. This left the duo suffering from poison.

"Quite a nice move Paul, but this far from over." Tucker said with a smile. "Swampert, get Drapion with Dynamic Punch!"

"Torterra, intercept with Giga Drain!" I ordered quickly now that I had created the situation I wanted.

As Swampert raced toward Drapion, it was flanked by a red aura that had extended from the Torterra's back, effectively draining Swampert of a large portion of its health.

"Arcanine, destroy the Giga Drain with Flamethrower, then follow up with Extreme Speed!" Tucker shouted, realizing how much damage was piling up onto Swampert. Arcanine let loose a string of flames that cut off the Giga drain before blitzing Torterra with a hard hit to the side of its body. "Use Fire Blast!"

The strong blast of flames at point blank range sent Torterra reeling, much to my dismay as it came skidding to a halt right in front of me.

"Now Swampert, hit Drapion with Mud Shot!" Tucker added. All I heard was Drapion give a hiss of pain as it was hit by Swampert's latest attack. Then I found Drapion resting in front of me as well alongside Torterra.

"Drapion, get up and use Cross Poison!" I said as Drapion stood back up and fired its attack. Drapion hit Swampert pretty hard, enough to send it flying into Arcanine which sent both of them tumbling backward. This bought Torterra some time to shake off the damage it had just endured and rise to its feet once again.

Both Arcanine and Swampert jumped to their feet, showing no signs of being ready to surrender to us. But I expected as much from the Pokemon that belonged to a trainer of Tucker's caliber.

"Torterra, get them with Frenzy Plant!" I commanded.

"Swampert, use Protect to stop the attack!" Tucker said as he threw a hand in the air. "Arcanine, use Extreme Speed to evade the attack and use Aerial Ace on Drapion!"

Swampert successfully halted the Frenzy Plant, giving Arcanine free reign as it raced past the large vines, closing in on Drapion with ease. Drapion gave another hiss of pain as Arcanine blew past it, landing a sharp blow to its body.

"An Arcanine that uses Aerial. Well isn't that interesting." I noted out loud.

"Yes, indeed. My Pokemon know quite a few moves that others would call…particular, but I'm able to win. If you plan to beat me, you'll really have to think before you move." Tucker said with a grin. Man the grin was becoming annoying.

"Yeah, I know." I mumbled, recalling my battle with Kai.

(Flashback)

_"If you really think you can beat Tucker like this, you've go no chance. You can't fight Tucker with your Pokemon individually. You have to beat him at his own game if you want to win. And that means using combinations. That's the secret to double battles." Kai stated harshly as I gave him a hard stare._

_"Hey Kai, I know you won, but that doesn't give you the right to act all high and mighty. Everyone has their own way of battling." Dawn called out, coming to my defense._

_"I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but if he really wants to become the strongest trainer, he needs to learn how to adapt to different situations. Stubbornly using one style will start to work against him at some point." Kai continued._

_"Still, there's need to tell him he's bound to fail if he doesn't change his style." Dawn added._

_"It may be harsh, but that is Kai's way of giving advice." Tori said, coming to Kai's defense now._

_"You can't call that advice!" Dawn began, but I interrupted her._

_"He's right." I said, silencing all of them. "If my style was good enough, I should've beaten Kai. I hate to say it, but he's right."_

_Kai grinned at this. "I see. Well if you start thinking of ways you can make your Pokemon work together, you'll discover a whole new world Pokemon battling."_

_"Just you wait. The next time we meet up, I'm going to crush you." I stated rather threateningly, although this seemed to make Kai brighten up even more._

_"Awesome, I'll be looking forward to it." He said. "Good luck Paul. I'm certain that if you think of a few good combinations, you'll beat Tucker. So I had better see you win."_

(End of Flashback)

The reason I lost that time was because I wasn't in sync with Pokemon, and they weren't in sync with each other. But I spent a lot of time practicing double battles to handle this situation. Now all I have to do is execute my plan.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the battle once again, taking a look at my two Pokemon. Despite the damage they had taken, both of them still looked determined to win. Arcanine and Swampert had the same determined expression, but the poison was beginning to take its toll on them.

"Drapion, use Poison Sting!" I shouted.

"Arcanine, counter with Flamethrower!"

Drapion fired its attack, but Arcanine's fire attack easily countered the attack, causing each of the small needles to explode as they entered the flames. A thick, billowing cloud formed over the battlefield.

"Go Torterria, use Wood Hammer!" I ordered, deciding to use to the thick smoke to my advantage.

"Swampert, counter with Dynamic Punch!" I heard Tucker say. Following this I could hear the stamps of Torterra and Swampert for a few moments, then came a thunderous clap as the cloud was blow away revealing the two Pokemon standing at the center of the field, trying to overpower the other. The two of them continued to push against the others attack until the opposing forces built up enough blow them backward.

"Hmm, this is definitely becoming a spectacular battle. But don't think I'll start going easy on you Paul!" Tucker declared. "Swampert, use Mud Shot!"

"Dodge it." I said to my Pokemon who moved out of the path of the attack.

"Well, its looks like it's about time Paul." Tucker said suddenly. I raised an eyebrow, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Time for what?" I asked.

"The strongest combination in my arsenal. I've been waiting for just the right moment to use it against you." He went on. "I'll warn you know, this attack will combine the elements of both my Pokemon to create one incredible attack that will end this battle."

"Well quit talking and bring it on!" I shouted in return. Enough talking, let's see just what Tucker had in store for me.

"Very well then. Swampert, use Water Pulse. Arcanine, use Fire Blast!" Tucker roared, causing the surrounding crowd to begin to cheer as well. They knew his signature finisher.

Arcanine and Swampert launched their attacks together, and I expected the two attacks to cancel each other out, but boy was I wrong. Somehow the two attacks combine to create a swirling tornado of fire and water that was quickly approaching Torterra and Drapion.

Observing the sheer size of this attack, avoiding it was out of the question.

"Drapion, knock Torterra out of the way and take the hit yourself. I know it sounds crazy, but just trust me!" I said to Drapion who gave me a slow nod before doing as it was told. Pushing Torterra to the very edge of the field, Drapion was then pulled into the air to the center of the tornado where it was bombarded with attacks.

* * *

(Dawns POV)

"Oh no, it looks like Paul is in trouble." Barry said as he nervously drummed his fingers on his knee.

Remaining in my seat, I tried to think about why Paul would just allow Drapion to take on such a strong attack by itself.

"Wait, if Torterra was hit by the Fire Blast, it probably would've gotten knocked out unlike Drapion. Paul's Drapion can take on a lot of damage, I remember him saying something like that at the Sinnoh League." I said to Barry. "He must be sure that Drapion could handle an attack like this."

"Paul is out of his mind." Barry said as he leaned forward in his seat.

"Well this isn't a move Paul would make to begin with. Someone else made a move like this before." I said to Barry, giving him a small hint.

"Who?"

"Kai."

"…Oh, right. When they battled, Kai used one Pokemon to take the damage of a really powerful attack to preserve his next Pokemon."

"Exactly." I said, giving him a nod. "Although I think it's really risky. But let's just hope Paul knows what to do from here now that Drapion is incredibly weak."

"I hope so."

* * *

(Pauls POV)

"Hmm, interesting. Using one Pokemon to take the entire hit to preserve the other. But what now?" Tucker inquired.

"This. Torterra, use Earthquake!" I said. Torterra gave a mighty roar before it lifted it front legs, dropping them down onto the field which sent out a shockwave in all directions. The field lurched violently for a period of time, damaging both Swampert and Arcanine while my airborne Drapion avoided the attack. "Now Torterra, follow up with Frenzy Plant!"

"Swampert, use Protect again!" Tucker yelled. Swampert quickly crossed its arms, creating a barrier which it used to block the thick vines that burst out of the ground beneath it. "Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!"

"Drapion use Agility to grab it!" I ordered. Arcanine was clearly faster than it, but a sudden speed would help it out.

As Arcanine came flying in toward it, Drapion stepped out of the Arcanine's path before snatching it from the ground using its tail.

"Your Pokemon have been taking a ton of damage from the poison, and now I can finish them. Drapion, use Venoshock!" I ordered with a smirk.

Drapion shot out a green liquid and point blank range, bathing Arcanine with it for a moment. Arcanine gave a howl of pain as the liquid ate away its remaining health before it went limp.

"Arcanine is unable to battle!" The referee declared as he raised one flag. Drapion released its hold on Arcanine, leaving it to drop to the field with a thud.

"Arcanine, return." Tucker said, raising a Pokeball to call it back. "You did a great job, but this isn't over yet. Swampert, use Dynamic Punch!"

"Torterra, catch it with Giga Drain!" I shouted.

"Swampert, block it with Protect!" Tucker said. Swampert called upon its shield of defense once again, blocking Torterra's attack.

"Drapion, use Venoshock!" I shouted as Swampert's shield fell apart after its one use. Spewing another stream of green liquid onto Swampert, it was unable to avoid the attack. Swampert groaned in pain, trying to wash away the liquid although it was unable to do so.

"Swampert, try Dynamic Punch once more!" Tucker hollered.

"Sorry, but I have a huge advantage now that its two on one. Torterra, Frenzy Plant!" I said.

As Swampert neared Drapion, it was sent flying into the air by another set of vines that exploded out of the ground beneath it. Swampert spun in the air several times before it came crashing to the field where it remained motionless for a moment.

"Swampert is unable to battle. The winner of the battle is Paul of Vielstone City."

The crowd had gone quiet which was satisfying for me. It felt great being able to silence the crowd. Then I heard a lone pair of hands begin to clap. It was Tucker.

"That was a fantastic battle Paul. You put an excellent fight, and managed to take the victory. Well done!" He said, raising his arms as he had done several times during the battle. But he motioned for the crowd to applaud as well, and this instantly got them going again. Figures…

"And Paul manages to overwhelm Tucker at the end of this impress battle to seal his victory." The announcer declared, shouting so that he could be heard over the cheers.

"Well I wish you the best of luck as you take on the rest of the Battle Frontier." Tucker said as he took a hold of my hand, giving it a firm shake. "Now if you don't mind, I have to get going."

"Wait, you didn't give me the Symbol." I said as Tucker began to walk away.

"Try checking your head." He said, giving me a grin before he continued off the field.

Placing a hand on top of my head, I found the small symbol resting at the very top of my head. When did he put that there?

* * *

Later that day, we returned to the Pokemon Center where we collected all our belongings to get on the move once again.

"Well now that Paul has his Symbol, we can head to Vermillion City so that I can get another Gym Badge." Barry declared confidently as we entered the lobby together. "And Dawn can get another ribbon too."

"Hmm?" Dawn said, giving Barry a confused look.

"While we were at the Battle Dome, I heard that there was going to be a contest in Vermillion City." Barry explained.

"Wow, really!" She exclaimed with bright eyes. Our attention was then drawn to the ringing that came from the Dawn's Xtransciever. Answering the small device that was strapped to her wrist, Dawn found out that it was Tori who was calling.

"Hey Tori, what's up?" Dawn said.

"Kai and I were watching TV, and you'll never guess who we saw." She began, letting a moment pass by. "We saw Paul battling Tucker! Put Paul on, Kai wants to talk to him."

"Alright." Dawn said as raised her arm, putting her Xtransciever to my face.

"What are doing?" I asked, giving her a glance.

"Handing you to phone to talk to Kai." Dawn explained as though it was common sense. Rolling my eyes, I could hear Kai snickering.

"Just out of question Kai, did Tori give you her Xtransciever to talk to me, or is it still on her wrist?" I asked.

"Of course off. Why would she keep it on her wrist?" He asked in return.

"I wish I knew." I muttered, giving Dawn a sharp glance, but she only stuck out her tongue at me.

"Anyway, I saw your match against Tucker. Great job." He said. "You had a couple of good combinations too."

"Yeah, I planned ahead so I was focused the entire time. It was nothing special." I replied. All our practice drills paid off in the end.

"Good to know. I can see that you've improved since our last battle. I can't wait to battle you again the next time we meet."

"Definitely." I said with a nod of agreement. "Although I'll be the winner next time."

"You're sounding like Ash." Dawn noted with a laugh.

"Shut it." I said to her. "So have you beaten Greta yet?"

"I haven't even had a chance to face her. So I decided to head over to Cerulean City to battle Noland. He was pretty tough, but I managed to win." Kai explained.

"What Pokemon did he use?"

"His Venusaur, Camerupt and Machamp." He replied. "I had to use my Swellow, Blaziken and Glalie. In the end, it came down to Blaziken versus his Machamp, and we won."

"Good job." I said simply.

"So where are you guys headed next?"

"Vermillion City. Barry is looking for another Badge and Dawn is going to enter a contest." I replied.

"That's great. After I beat Greta, Tori and I will be heading there too." Kai said. "Maybe we'll find you guys there."

"Maybe." I trailed off, taking note of Dawn's attempts to get my attention.

"Tell them about Team Alpha." She whispered to me.

"Why don't you?" I whispered in return, but she motioned for me to continue.

"Fine. I should probably tell you guys about this group called Team Alpha that we met before I battle Tucker." I began, telling them about what happened.

"They sound pretty dangerous. Do you have any idea what they're trying to do?"

"As much as I hat to admit it, one their members escaped before we could get anything out of him." I replied.

"Hey Tori, do you think this has anything to do with that weird guy we saw in Saffron City?" Kai asked, looking at Tori who popped up on the small screen.

"Weird guy?" I repeated.

"Yeah, we saw this strange guy at the docks while we were in Saffron City. He seemed suspicious, so we watched him for a bit and then a big gust of wind blew by and he vanished. After that Kai's Luxray started acting strange too." She explained for me.

"He could have something to do with Team Alpha, or it could just be a coincidence. But I doubt that." I said, thinking about it. This was too close to where we met up with trouble for it to be a coincidence.

"I couldn't agree more."

"Can you tell us what he looked like?"

"No can do. We didn't get to look at him long enough to really know what he looks like." Kai replied. "Do you have any plans as to what we should do?"

"Well these guys haven't caused too much trouble yet. Getting involved right now seems pretty pointless since we don't know enough about them to prove they're bad. The best thing to do right now is to wait and see what they're up to."

"Agreed." Kai said with a nod. "If things become too much for Kanto to handle, then we'll have to step in." Kai said with a wide grin.

"Exactly."

"Alright then, I guess we'll be going. See you at Vermillion City." He said.

"I suppose." I said in reply.

"I'm putting Tori back on, so you can give it back to Dawn now." He said before he disappeared from the screen.

I gave him a nod although he couldn't see it, then I pushed Dawn's hand back toward her.

"You can have this back." I said.

(Dawn's POV)

"Well thanks for returning my arm." I said sarcastically before setting my gaze on the screen of my Xtransciever. "So what did you need Tori?"

"Take a look at this." She said, holding up a ribbon.

"No way, you won a contest?" I exclaimed, receiving a nod from her. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. It was a little rough considering it was my first one, but we won it." She went on.

"I know right, but I'm impressed and a little jealous that you won your first contest since I lost my first one pretty badly." I said with a sheepish grin, recalling how bad it did. "But I'm glad."

"Thanks Dawn. We have to go now since Kai wants to battle Greta. So see ya." She said with a wave before hanging up.

"Are you finally finished?" Paul asked me.

"Yeah. Tori won a contest, isn't that great?" I asked him, although I could already figure out how Paul would reply.

"I can hardly hide my excitement." He replied.

"Hey guys, can we get going? The Vermillion Gym will run out of Badges before I get there if we keep moving at this pace!" Barry hollered at us. "And if they run out of Badges, I'm going to fine both of you!"

"We're coming!" I hollered back to Barry, motioning for Paul to follow which he did with a shrug before smirking.

_Well I'm glad Tori got a Ribbon but to be honest I'm a little more glad and shocked that Paul was able to defeat Tucker. He really worked hard and it's good to know that so far we'll all be doing well. One things for sure though, I think he owes Kai quite a lot for all of his help. I guess having rivals motivates anyone even a guy like Paul. Maybe it's just me but his attitude has seemed better lately. Either way it all seems good to me._ I thought with a smile on my face as we all left Lavender Town and headed to Vermillion City.

To Be continued

* * *

_Dawn: That was a good battle._

_Barry: You had us worried there for a second._

_Paul: I told you both a million times that I have a plan didn't I?_

_Dawn: Yea and you were right still for someone who hates crowds, you sure did put on a great show for all of us._

_Paul: I just needed to wait until I could use Earthquake._

_Dawn: Well whatever you planned it worked. Any way we hope you enjoyed this chapter and we got it to posted pretty quickly right? Leave a review to let us know what you thought of Paul's big frontier battle since this was a pretty big battle, we'd like to know what all of you thought so please let us know your thoughts and if you didn't like it then please let us know why and what we could change so if you have an_


	22. Chapter 22 Team Alpha's Secret Weapon

_Okay, heres the next chapter, hope you all enjoy it. Before I begin this one, I thought I'd ask your opinions on something. I'm trying to figure out what I should right next and I have three ideas but to I only want to write one at a time. So what I'm quickly gonna do is write a summery for each one and I'll want you guys to let me know which story you would like to see. These will not effect my writing on this story. I will still try to post chapters for this one weekly so heres the three stories and a little bit about them. Warning, these three stories will contain spoilers from Kingdom hearts, NAruto, and Pokemon XD/ Coliseum _

_ Naruto: Sasuke's redemption._

_ After the war has ended, Sasuke has returned to his village but not everyone is happy to have him back. Some people want him dead and others even treat him like a demon. Now Sasuke has to prove to the village that he is no longer the demon Shinobi he once was and try to earn everyone's forgiveness. Can he do it or will the village truly hate him and make him realize what Naruto had once gone through._

_ Kingdom hearts: The new seven lights._

_ Riku and King Mickey have failed to save Sora from Xehanort and now Sora has become the 13__th__ new Xehanort. Can Riku save his friend and bring him back to their side, or will he be forced to fight the friend he swore to protect. And who will become the new seventh light now that Sora is gone. What will become of the heroes now that they've lost one of their best heroes and can Riku really fight his best friend?_

_ Pokémon: The Shadow Pokémon strike back._

_ 20 years after the events in Xd, the son of Michael and the daughter of Wes must work together to find out what happened to their parents and to find all of the new Shadow Pokémon. Will the children be able to stop and save all of the Shadow Pokémon or is all hope lost. Find out what happens when Cipher returns stronger and more dangerous than ever before._

_ So yea, those are the three options so you guys be sure to let me know which one you'd all like me to write next. To let me know, either leave a Review, or send me a PM._

_ With all that stuff out of the way, let's start this chapter._

* * *

** Chapter 22 Team Alpha's secret weapon.**

(Paul's POV)

We were walking to the next city but to get there, we had to cross these small bridges that were across lake.

"Are you two almost done?" I asked a little bit annoyed.

All though we were trying to get to Vermillion City, Dawn and Barry decided to stop and try fishing a bit to see if they could find any rare Pokémon.

"We'll be done when we're done okay besides you can join us if you want. You may find some cool Pokémon to add to your team." Dawn said.

"Don't have a fishing rod." I said.

"Seriously, you would think that you of all people would have a fishing rod. After all you've caught so many Pokémon."

"Well I don't okay." I said.

"Well then you're in luck then because I have a spare one so you can use it if you want." Barry said.

"I don't really want to anyway. It's boring as hell."

"It's called having patience. You could use it once in a while. Even Barry is calm which is Shocking."

"Hey!" Barry said annoyed.

"Look I'm going for a walk okay. Besides fishing isn't my style." I said

"If you insist, it's really a pity but okay. Suit yourself." Dawn said

I then walked away and decided to head to walk around for a little while.

* * *

After a few minutes, and area where I found a few water type Pokémon but they were all pretty weak so I decided not to catch any of them. Still it was kind of funny, after all Dawn and Barry were both probably still sitting on the ground fishing but they couldn't catch anything and here I am finding all those weak water types. Kind of funny, if you think about it.

"Pity though that all there are here are Magicarp and Poliwag. Such weak ones, that they wouldn't even make a difference to my team. Besides the look like they're not fit to battle and that they would put in zero effort. Still I should probably try to find a new addition to my team after all Dawn caught that Bagon and Barry got that Xatu however I still haven't caught anything at all. The newest additions to my team have been Eevee and Charmander and I got both of them before I even got my first frontier symbol and that was a while ago. "I said to myself.

Suddenly I heard a scream coming from in the woods.

"Well that sure doesn't sound good. I suppose I might as well check it out."

I headed into the woods. Luckily I kept on hearing the screaming and I was able to use it to find out where the person was.

I then arrived at a Rocky field. "This is strange, how are there so many rocks near such a big body of water. Things just aren't adding up." I said to myself confused. "Oh well, time to look for who was screaming.

I walked around for a little while until I saw a girl running away.

"Help!" the girl yelled.

"Hey what's wrong? What are you running aw-" But before I could finish what I was saying, an Onix appeared from under the ground and grabbed the girl with its tail.

"Roar!" The Onix roared sounding extremely fierce.

"Please help me mister." The girl said when she saw me.

"You got to be kidding me why would a Onix attack someone for no real reason. This isn't adding up. Either way I suppose I can't really worry about that can I? Torterra stand by for battle." I said as I sent out my Torterra.

The Onix just stared at Torterra and roared.

"Torterra use Leaf Storm!" I said as Torterra shot out it's leafs at an extreme speed. The leafs all made a direct hit on the Onix and the Onix screamed in pain.

Suddenly the Onix dropped the girl. "Torterra catch her on your back." I said as Torterra ran up to the girl and caught her before she hit the ground.

The Onix then got back up and it looked extremity angry. It then shot out a Dragonbreath attack toward us.

"Torterra counter with Leaf Storm once more!" I ordered

Torterra shot out its leafs and they cut straight through the Onix's Dragonbreath attack. Whatever this Onix was, it sure wasn't that powerful.

The Onix then took its tail and wrapped it around my Torterra. It then brought my Torterra into the air.

"Looks like that moves Bind huh. Not like it'll be a problem. Torterra get out of that by using Wood Hammer!" I said

Even though it was trapped in bind, Torterra still was able to take it's foot and slam into the Onix's face causing the Onix to fall to the ground and faint.

"Well that was boring. Torterra return good job." I said to my Torterra as I recalled it. "You can come out now. The Onix is knocked out." I said obviously for the girl to hear.

The girl then stepped out from behind a rock. "Um thank you for saving me." She said quietly. She looked about a year younger than me and she had short Brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a bright pink shirt and a pink skirt that came up just above her knees. She also was kind of short. And she was wearing black sneakers. She was also covered in dust probably because she was being chased by that Onix. "How did you find me exactly?" She asked sounding a little nervous.

"I heard someone screaming so I just came to see what was going on. I followed the noise and eventually I saw you being chased by that Onix." I said.

"Wow so came just because you heard me scream. Thank you so much. That Onix was really scary and all of my Pokémon are weak against Rock types." The girl said sadly.

"It wasn't a big deal. More importantly why was an Onix chasing you? Pokémon don't usually attack humans for no reason unless the human did something to annoy them."

"I swear I didn't do anything. I'm just traveling with my big sister but we got separated and I was trying to look for her but then that Onix just came out of nowhere and attacked me. To be honest I was scared beyond belief. I'm just starting out as a trainer and I have hardly any experience with Pokémon. Plus I've never seen s Pokémon as big as that Onix before so I wasn't used to it."

"Well if you're just starting out then I can understand. Still are you sure the Onix just attacked you out of nowhere for no good reason?"

"I swear it did I didn't even do anything to give it a reason to attack me."

"Well then things defiantly aren't right after all there has to be a reason why Pokémon would act like this. Plus there's still the whole problem of why there's such a rocky area near a body of water. The two don't exactly go hand and hand."

"I think my sister told me that some people built this area to test something out. I remember her being confused about the same exact thing. So we asked a man and he said that this area was built for some kind of a test or something like that."

"Any idea what the man looked like."

"Hmm let me think. Oh right I remember. The man had a light green shirt and light green pants on his shirt was This really weird looking A symbol."

I just stood there for a moment. Hearing what the girl said shocked me a bit. "Are you sure?" The girl just simply nodded. "Damn it. Sounds like its team Alpha. Looks like they're back already." I said irritated.

"Who are they?"

"To put it shortly, they're a criminal organization. Did you see where he went?"

"No. but I think those guys are long gone because we haven't seen any of them for a while now."

"Damn it. Figures, so anyway you said you got separated from your sister."

"Yea she we got separated when we got attacked by some rock type Pokémon and then we got separated."

"Fine then I suppose I'll help you find her after all I doubt it would be good if more rock types showed up." I said.

"Really, thank you so much, my names Sara by the way. What's yours?"

"Paul." I said.

"Huh wait are you from the Sinnoh Region?" Sara asked.

"That true why."

"Because I saw you compete in the Sinnoh league on TV. You were so cool. I was hoping you'd win but sadly you lost to that Ash guy. He just got lucky in the end and won but you should've won instead."

"I doubt that. Ash was strong and I lost back then don't go talking like you know him." I said annoyed.

"Okay fine but you really are super cool. Man this is awesome to be actually meeting you." Sara said energetically.

"Whatever. Anyway, we should be looking for your sister right." I said.

"Of course, let's go." The girl said,

We searched for a few minutes but so far we couldn't find anyone.

"So out of curiosity, What Pokémon have you captured so far?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Well like I said I'm just starting out so all I've got is a Happiny, a Mime JR. and a Cleffa." Sara told me.

"All three of those are Baby Pokémon." I said as I realized that about her team.

"Yea they sure are. I really love Baby Pokémon and all of their evolved forms. I just think they're the best. Sadly though, I suck at catching Pokémon so I can't catch many."

"It always takes time to get used to being a trainer so it's no big deal. You just have to keep searching and training in order to get the experience. Still the problem with your team is that they're all weak Pokémon. Baby Pokémon are usually weak and are not good battlers." I said.

"Okay then well let's look for my sister again."

"Right" I said as we looked some more.

* * *

We still couldn't find anything or anyone after about another half an hour.

"Man this is a pain. All we've found so far is rocks and they don't seem to be going away any time soon." I said

"Hey wait a minute why are some of those rocks crushed." Sara said, She was right, a lot of the rocks were crushed for some reason

"Looks like a Pokémon did it. And from the looks of it, it's still here. That's defiantly not good." I said. I then studied the area to see if anything was moving around. I suddenly heard a loud noise and when I turned around I saw a wild Tyrogue. "Well aren't those rare." I said.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?"

"Well Tyrogue is a special Pokémon that evolves into Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, or HitmonTop depending on how you train them."

"Wow so cool."

"Good cause you're going to catch it." I simply said.

"What?"

"Look that Tyrogue doesn't look that powerful. This will give you a good chance to attempt to catch it so go for it."

"Right. All right go Cleffa!" Sara said. "Use Pound!"

The Cleffa ran up to Tyrogue but Tyrogue simply swung its arm and knocked it aside.

"Darn it we're just too weak."

"If Physical attacks don't work then you should try some moves that affect stats."

"Oh right. Okay then Cleffa use Attract."

Cleffa sent out a bunch of hearts and they surrounded the Tyrogue and made it fall in love with Cleffa.

"Good now go Cleffa, hit with Pound some more."

Cleffa ran up to the Tyrogue and started punching it repeatedly until the Tyrogue looked like it had taken some damage.

"All right time to catch it. Go Pokéball!" Sara said as she threw her Pokéball at the Tyrogue. The Ball caught the Tyrogue and shook a few times but it reopened so the Tyrogue escaped. "Aw man I thought that would work."

The Tyrogue ran up to the Cleffa and punched it in its stomach knocking it back a few feet.

"Do you know any other moves?"

"Other moves… That's right. Cleffa use Sweet Kiss!" Sara said.

The Cleffa blew a kiss and it hit the Tyrogue and when it did, the Tyrogue started acting confused.

"Good now use Magical Leaf!" Sara said as her Cleffa shot out two Leafs and they both hit the Tyrogue. "Do you think its weak enough to be caught now?"

"It's worth a shot."

"Okay then. Let's try this one more time. Go Pokéball!" Sara then threw her Pokéball and it caught the Tyrogue once again and this time it caught it for good. "IS it caught?"

"Looks that way"

"All right, I did it. Thanks for the help!" She said so happily.

"Not too bad Sara." We heard a voice say as we turned around.

Behind us was a girl with long brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a white t shirt and blue jeans and gray sneakers. She looked around my age.

"Big sister!" Sara said as she ran up to the girl.

"Were have you been Sara. Geese I was worried. I thought you would've been hurt. It's lucky I found you be you should be more careful." The girl said sounding concerned.

"I know already big sister. Stop treating me like a little kid though doesn't forget I'm a Pokémon trainer and I can take care of myself." Sara said.

Wasn't she determined to find her big sister and wasn't she the one being chased by an Onix earlier. She sure does act different around he sister that's for sure. All though I suppose I was similar around Reggie back when I was younger.

The girl suddenly turned to me. "Thank you for looking after my sister I hope she wasn't a pain."

"Believe me compared to the people I know she's fine." I said half joking.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My names Ashley good to meet you and I take you you've already gotten to meet my younger sister Sara. So who are you?" Ashley said.

"This is Paul Ashley. He was the guy who made it to the top 8 of the Sinnoh league but lost to Ash. I'm telling you sister he's just as cool as I said he was if not cooler." Sara said before I had a chance to answer.

"Oh really is that so. Well then aren't you lucky to have run into someone so skilled." Ashley said as she walked up to me and suddenly started whispering. "Sorry if she got a little annoying believe me she can be sometimes. You see she loves watching battles and she thought you had some of the coolest Pokémon and she loved your attitude so sorry if she was a bit of a pain." Ashley apologized.

"Whatever. But I have a quick question to ask you. You said your name was Ashley right."

"Yea that's right."

"Then do you know two guys named Mat and Kai?"

"Do I. Of course I do. They're like my best friends. So how do you know them?"

"I met up with Mat once and a later on, I met Kai." I explained.

"Wow so you know those two. There's a surprise. SO did you battle them and if you did then who won?" Ashley asked me.

"Of course Paul beat both of them right?" Sara said as she looked up happily.

"I beat Mat. However as much as I hate to admit it, I lost to Kai pretty bad." I admitted.

"No way had you lost." Sara said disappointed

"Figures, Kai was always the better trainer."

"I could tell. But he also gave me advice on an upcoming battle I had to fight. It helped a lot and I ended up winning it so it was a big help. All though I do hate to admit that."

"Well Kai did always try to help people who he thinks needs it. It's good to know he's still helping people out."

"Got to agree with that, so, mind if I make ask something."

"Sure ask away."

"Well I battled Kai and Mat so how bout we battle." I suggested invested in how this Girl battled since I already faced Kai and Mat and I was wondering how she battled.

"Well the problem is I don't battle, you see I'm a coordinator so I really don't battle to well."

"Oh I see. I understand that. A friend of mine is a coordinator." I said.

"Is that so well cool I hope I get to face her soon."

"So what are we going to do now Ashley?" Sara asked Ashley.

"Well I think it's about time we get going after all there's no reason to still be here. Don't you agree?"

"Aw man. I suppose so. Well good bye Paul. I can't wait to see you again." Sara said happily.

"Later." Ashley said as the two of them walked away.

"Well that was interesting. Fans are a handful though." I said to myself. "Still you'd think that I'd be able to run into some more members of team Alpha." I said.

"You shouldn't get to calm Paul or else you'll regret it." I heard a voice say.

I quickly turned around and saw none other than Sebastian standing behind me. "How long have you been here?" I asked annoyed.

"I've been following you around the whole time you idiot. I just figured that I should wait for the right moment to strike and finally you're all alone." Sebastian said.

"So what exactly is your plan? More importantly how did this whole area end up like this?" I asked annoyed.

"Simple really hasn't you ever heard of how the area will change if the Pokémon around them change. Well you see we simple captured a bunch of ground and Rock type Pokémon and moved them around here and before we knew it all of the trees got crushed and the water quickly dried up."

"Wonderful, except, for one problem. What was the point of all this?"

"Well it turned out to be pointless. You see earlier we received Intel that there may have been a specific item around here. So to find it, we had to tear down every tree here. Unfortunately we found nothing. So this whole plan was a waste. That was until you showed up though."

"Until I showed up, what are you planning?"

"Well we needed someone to help us test out an invention of ours and you'll do just fine."

"Do you really think I'd agree to that?" I said

"And do you really think I'd give you a choice. Now come on out." Sebastian said.

Suddenly the ground started to shake and from underneath came a Graveler. It quickly slammed into my left arm with such great force that it felt like broke my arm. "Agh!" I said in pain as the Graveler slammed into me and then backed away. You got to be kidding me. This thing actually attacked me. What the hell is going on with this Pokémon? They shouldn't attack humans for no good reason yet this one just slammed into my arm and was able to almost to break it. This defiantly isn't normal. I thought to myself. I then looked at the Graveler and for some strange reason, it looked almost emotionless.

"Honchkrow stand by for battle!" I said as I sent out my Honchkrow. Graveler's are powerful but slow Pokémon so Honchkrow should be able to take it out with its speed. I thought to myself. "Now go Honchkrow use Steel Wing!"

Honchkrow flew straight toward the Graveler but before Honchkrow could even get close to Graveler, the Graveler quickly grab bed Honchkrow and slammed it to the ground. The Graveler then took its arm and slammed down on the Honchkrow.

"Honchkrow slam it with Steel wing right now while the Graveler is directly above you! Then as soon a you hit it fly away!" I said.

Honchkrow then took its wings and slammed them into Graveler before Graveler could hit Honchkrow. Honchkrow then started to fly away but before it could get far, Graveler quickly grabbed Honchkrow and slammed it against the ground once again.

"Are you kidding me!? How the hell is that thing so fast?" I said. I then turned and heard Sebastian laughing. "What did you do?"

"Well I said this was a test didn't I. Well I simply used this." Sebastian said as he held up a device that looked like some kind of green Pokédex.

"What the hell is that exactly, some kind of Pokédex?"

"Close I suppose. You see this device is called an AlphaDex. It simple allows us to fix the problems that Pokémon have."

"Problem?"

"Well as you know a Pokémon may be extremely strong but it may have low speed. The opposite is true too of course. With this device we can fix that little problem of course there's one little problem. In exchange for this power, The Pokémon's drained of all emotions in short it becomes a battling machine. Personally I prefer them this way."

"You would." I said coldly. There's got to be some weak points in that damn device. Still this is definitely not going to be easy. I might be able to buy time though. "Honchkrow fly away once again." Honchkrow started to fly away but the Graveler quickly ran after it. "Good now use Double Team!" I said as Honchkrow mad clones of itself so it was able to get away.

"What the?" Sebastian said shocked.

"Looks to me like if all your Pokémon can do is battle then then is another flaw." I said calmly.

"Oh really and what is that?"

"Simple. Since it's a fighting machine and all it can do is battle then I doubt it can think for itself can it?" I said.

"You little brat." Sebastian said sounding annoyed.

"So you should probably call back your Pokémon because it stands no chance of winning."

"You must be really stupid. This Graveler isn't even mine. I just thought I'd test it out right on you and it seemed to be one of the stronger Pokémon that we found so I decided to test out our little device on it. But I suppose that even it was useless."

"You people really are bastards aren't you?" I said.

"Am I supposed to care about that? Now If I were you then I'd be more focused on beating that stupid Graveler."

"Whatever. Honchkrow hit the Graveler with Steel Wing once again!" I said.

Honchkrow flew in with its many clones so the Graveler couldn't tell which one was real. The real one then started to beat Graveler with its wings multiple times. Graveler then took it's arm and tried to slam it's arm on Honchkrow but Honchkrow was able to block the attack and counter it by slamming it's wing in the Graveler's face.

"What? How was that stupid Pokémon able to counter Graveler?" Sebastian said shocked.

"Looks like your stupid AlphaDex, seems to only last for a short period of time now doesn't it? Either way it looks like now I've taken the upper hand." I said calmly.

"Appears so, well all I really needed was to test out the invention and so far I'd say that our device is still in need of some fixing cause there's still some bugs but trust me soon everything will be perfect. Now if you don't mind I'll be going." He said as he turned to leave. I was about to go after him but then the Graveler kept on attacking me.

"Damn it. Looks like I'm being kept busy. Honchkrow use Sky Attack!" I said

Honchkrow then charged up and flew straight toward Graveler and slammed into it.

"Well one thing for sure, the power of that device that team Alpha used sure is weakening. Looks like it should were off in about a minute so in that case I guess it's time to end this. The Graveler kept on attacking us but it was clear that it had lost all of it's speed.

"Time to end this, Honchkrow use a combination attack of Brave Bird and Steel Wing!" I said.

Honchkrow then combined the two attacks like I told it to and then flew straight into Graveler. Graveler then fell to the ground and laid there knocked out."

"Good job Honchkrow. Return." I said as I called Honchkrow back. I then stared at the unconscious Graveler. "I might as well check." I said as I took out my Pokedex and scanned it. "Hmm seems like it's a pretty powerful Pokémon. Its move set isn't half bad and it's already pretty powerful. I suppose I shouldn't let this opportunity go to waste now should I?" I said as I grabbed a Pokeball and threw it towards the Graveler. The Graveler then went inside the Pokeball and the ball then shook a few times before clinking shut.

"Looks like I finally caught something new and not quite a bad catch either so I suppose today went well after all. Except of course, for the fact that those team Alpha guys escaped. Still it's not like there's anything I can do now." I said.

I then looked at my Pokedex once more and studied the Graveler's moves. It new Explosion, Hammer Arm, Magnitude, and Rock Polish. _Not a bad catch at all_. I thought to myself. "Now I should probably get back to Dawn and Barry. I wonder if they caught anything while fishing." I said as I started to head back. Suddenly I felt a quick jolt of pain in my arm. "Shit I forgot, I was hit here." I then looked at my arm for a moment. "I doubt it's broken or anything. Even though that Graveler hit me pretty hard, I don't think it should've broken anything. Still it looks like this arm will be sore for a few days at least. To be honest it's no big deal but knowing Dawn and Barry, they'll over react. Still I better head back now." I said as I started to walk back.

* * *

By the time I had arrived at Dawn and Barry's location, they were still fishing.

"So did you two have any fun sitting around and doing nothing?" I said jokingly half hoping to annoy Dawn.

"We didn't catch anything and we fished for like five whole hours." Dawn said incredibly annoyed.

"I swear I'm going to fine this lake!" Barry yelled.

"Have fun with that. Still it's kind of finny in a way. You guys fished all day and didn't catch a thing yet I went on a walk and I caught a Graveler."

"Seriously." Barry and Dawn said at the same time.

"Yea it was a pretty exciting day to be honest but you two wasted it fishing." I said.

"Well sorry for not being able to see the future!" Dawn said in a yelling tone. She seemed annoyed.

"Still I'm a little jealous of you but either way, way to go Paul." Barry said as he slapped my arm and of course it was the one that got hurt.

"Ugh." I said because it actually hurt quite a bit. I hopped Barry and Dawn didn't hear me but of course, Dawn noticed something was wrong.

"Did you hurt your arm or something?" She asked me sounding a little worried now.

"Look I'm fine. Now let's go to Vermillion City." I said.

Before I could start walking, Dawn grabbed my arm and pulled up my sleeve and saw that there was a mark from where I got hit.

Damn it. I thought to myself

"What happened to you Paul?" Barry said as he starred at the mark.

"Nothing."

"You're lying. Now tell us what happened." Dawn said sounding worried.

"Sigh fine but it's a long story."

"It's a longer walk to Vermillion city. Tell us while we're heading there." Dawn said.

"Sounds good."

"But first, are you sure you're okay to walk."

"Geese it's my arm that got hit, not my legs. Besides my arms not even broken so it'll be fine in a few hours okay. So don't worry."

"Well fine then. And for your information, worrying is normal when it's about your close friends." Dawn said

"Whatever." I said as we started to continue waking. "Well here's what happened." I said and I then told Dawn and Barry everything that had happened to me this day. It had taken over 2o minutes to tell them the whole story but eventually I finished. As I thought both Dawn and Barry looked mad again.

"So it was those jerks once again." Dawn said.

"And they are using some weird advice now. I swear that's cheating. I should fine them!" Barry said.

"Yea what's worse is that device of theirs isn't even complete yet so things aren't looking good at all." I explained.

"To take away a Pokémon's emotions, what kind of sick people would do that?" Dawn said.

"Apparently, the evil kind." I said simply.

"Well we got to do something about them." Barry said annoyed.

"Great ideas and what leads do we have to finding them. Absolutely none, look I hate this guys but we will have to find them first and that's no easy task. So far I think we should continue on our journey." I said.

"Yea I got to agree but I'm taking down that guy the next time I see him." Dawn said.

"He's all yours. Just try not to lose your cool." I said.

We then continued our journey to Vermilion City until it became nighttime. When it came, we all decided to get some sleep and when we did, I got ready to put a long and tiring day behind me.

To Be Continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Ya, Paul finally caught a new Pokemon._

_ Paul: Seems about damn time that happened, you two have been catching them so I thought it was time that I should._

_ Barry: Still nice catch man._

_ Dawn: But still it worries me about what on earth that team Alpha could be planning._

_ Paul: Whatever it is, I'll be ready for them._

_ Barry: Same here. Next time I meet them, their going down._

_ Dawn: Okay Barry. Whatever you say. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed today's chapter. Please leave a Review and let us know what you think. Also be sure to let us know what you want our next fanfic to be by either leaving a review or a PM. Anyway with all that said, see you all next time._


	23. Chapter 23 The Training Incident

_Okay so here's the next new chapter today. I hope you all enjoy this one. Also just to let you guys know, the three stories I told you about in my last chapter, well it turns out that you can just make a poll about that stuff. So please vote on which story you'd like to see. You can find the poll on my author's page. Not gonna lie, I kinda felt like an idiot for not knowing that but I do now so please go there and vote cause it will really help me decide on what I should write next. With all that said, here's the next chapter, and let's begin._

* * *

**Chapter 23 The Training Incident**

(Paul's POV)

"Three on three okay Dawn!" Barry said.

"Sounds good to me" Dawn replied as she held up her Pokéballs.

Dawn and Barry were about to have a practice match and I figured I'd watch this training battle.

"Both of you try not to cause too much of a mess." I said.

"Cut it out. Besides we can be carful." Barry said.

"I'm just saying don't get too carried away since this is just a training match so try not to be too crazy. Besides it was more for you not for Dawn." I said.

"That's it, I'm gonna fine you." Barry yelled.

"Ignore him Barry and let's battle. Togekiss spotlight!" Dawn said as she sent out her Togekiss.

"Right, Empoleon let's go!" Barry said as he sent out his Empoleon.

"Let's go. Togekiss use Sky Attack!" Dawn said.

"Counter with Steel Wing!" Barry said as both Pokémon went towards one another and cancelled the other move out.

"Now use Aura Sphere."

"Knock it back with Steel Wing!" Barry said.

"Dodge it!"

Empoleon knocked back the attack but Togekiss avoided it.

"Now, use Hydro Cannon!" Barry said

Empoleon fired its most attack and hit Togekiss.

"Togekiss use Extreme Speed!" Dawn said as Togekiss flew into Empoleon at a great speed.

"Empoleon use Steel Wing!" Barry said as Empoleon slammed its wings into Togekiss and started beating it with the wings.

"Togekiss get up and use Aura Sphere!"

Togekiss created the sphere and shot it at Empoleon. The attack hit Empoleon dead center and dealt major damage since the attack was super effective.

"Get up and hit it with Hydro Cannon!" Barry said

Empoleon shot out the Water attack and hit Togekiss.

I then sighed "Their getting way to into this for training. But I suppose that's what happens when those two battle." I said.

"We can here you." Dawn said. "Besides you're really not one to talk mister I must train 24/7." Dawn said.

"I'm not training right now." I said

"Yea but when you do, you always go train to hard. Besides I remember you once put Chimchar against all of your other Pokémon just to awaken its true power. So don't tell us not to get into a training battle." Dawn said.

"The whole Chimchar thing happened a long time ago." I said.

"Yea but you still train constantly." Barry told me.

"Okay fine. Just get back to your little battle." I said deciding not to continue this pointless argument.

"Okay let's get back to this battle then. Togekiss use Aura Sphere!" Dawn said

"Counter by using Hydro Cannon!" Barry said.

The two Pokémon shot out their attacks and they cancelled each other out.

"Empoleon" Empoleon yelled as It started to create a wave of water.

"NO way what move is that?" Barry said Shocked.

"Looks like your Empoleon just learned Surf." I said.

"Really, all right! This is amazing! All right Empoleon let's try your new move. Use Surf!" Barry said sounding really excited.

But the move didn't go as planned. The Wave didn't hit Togekiss; it missed it completely and hit Dawn, Barry, and me somehow. The wave hit all three of us and caused us to get knocked down and it even made us drop all of our Pokéballs.

"You idiot, Can't you control that attack!" I said annoyed.

"Sorry about that but hey it was our first time using Surf so it's going to mess up once in a while right?"

"Messing up is one thing but that move went wild and hit everyone but it's target." How does that even happen?"

"I'm sorry but I'll work on this move and before you know it, I'll have mastered the move."

"I hope so cause I don't want to get soaking wet overtime you use that move."

"And I don't want to lose our Pokéballs every time you use it. Speaking of them, were did they go?" Dawn asked as she stood up. "And it is really annoying being soaking wet."

"I know. By the way the Pokéballs are all over there." I said pointing off to the side.

"Thanks." Dawn said as all three of us walked over to the Pokéballs and picked them up.

"I think that's enough battling for today. Togekiss return." Dawn said as she recalled her Togekiss.

"I want to continue but I guess now's not the right time so Empoleon return." Barry said.

"Well I think I'll be going now." Dawn said.

"Huh, were on earth are you heading to?" Barry asked Dawn.

"I need to change out of these soaking wet cloths otherwise I may get sick. And no offense but girls don't like it when boys watch them change so I'll be somewhere where you cant see me." Dawn said laughing a bit.

"Oh yea, good point"

"It's common sense Barry. Girls hate it if you see them changing so that's why. I know you suck with girls but you should at least know that." I said.

"Suck with Girls! I got to fine you."

Dawn then started laughing. "And you're better with girls Paul."

"What did you say?" I said annoyed.

"Oh nothing, just having a good laugh. Well I think I'll be going now. Don't try to follow me and peak." Dawn said as she walked away.

"She is such a pain." I said

"Maybe but it sure is funny at times traveling together. So Paul do you want to battle to get some training in."

"Thanks but no thanks"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to keep these soaking wet clothes on either so I'm going to go get changed too. And after that I think I'll train for a bit."

"Well then I'll come too. Trainings better when it's done as a team."

"I'll train alone. You should do the same Barry. We'll all meet up again by the end of the day." I said.

"Fine." Barry said.

* * *

I headed into the woods some more and found a good area with a lot of trees around it so I figured I could train for the day.

Before starting, I got changed into some actual dry clothes. "He's really an idiot. I can't believe he messed that Surf attack. Still I suppose as long as he masters that move eventually things should be fine. Still I hope we don't get soaking wet every time that moves fails. I guess a good way to avoid that from happening would be to get as far away from Barry when he's training to master the move." I said

Suddenly one of my Pokéballs opened automatically.

"Now is not a good time Eevee, unless you want to train." I said as I turned around. But in front of me wasn't my Eevee, It was a Piplup.

"Plup" Piplup said confused as it stared at me.

"What the hell? Why do I have a Piplup? Wait a minute." I said as I opened all of the Pokéballs.

Inside of them, I found a Bulbasaur, A Bagon, my Graveler, A Deerling, and a Skarmory.

"None of these are mine except for Graveler. Let's see Piplup, Deerling, and Bagon are all Pokémon that belong to Dawn and Bulbasaur and Skarmory both Belong to Barry. Could we have swapped Pokémon somehow? But when" I said and thought for a moment. "Of course it must've been when we all got slammed with that surf. We must've picked up the wrong Pokéballs. Damn it, how could I be so stupid and do that. I swear hanging around Barry must be rubbing off on me."

"Plup" Piplup said as it looked at me. All the other Pokémon looked at me in confusion probably wondering where their real trainers are.

"Look everyone, Dawn and Barry kind of decided to train independently. So I have no idea where everyone else is. I suppose we could go back and wait for the other to show up." I said as I started to turn to walk back but then I stopped when I got an idea. "On second thought this could be a good chance to have a little fun. Okay for today I'll be training you." I said

_This will be a good chance to see how well I can train with Pokémon owned by other trainers. Plus I could see just how well Dawn and Barry have done training these guys. _I thought.

"Deer" Deerling said happily. I suppose it makes sense that Deerling wouldn't mind me that much since it's always training and playing with my Eevee.

"Plup" Piplup said annoyed as it glared at me.

"What's your problem? Still I can't help wondering how Dawn and Barry will react to finding this out. I wonder what they'll about. Knowing Barry it'll probably take him an hour to figure it out." I said.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

I had kept walking until I came to an area with a Waterfall and a lake.

"This should be a good place to get changed and train in a bit." I said as I got changed into dry clones.

"Okay I guess it's time to prepare for some contests." I said. Suddenly one of my Pokéballs opened up and out came an Eevee.

"Vee" Eevee said but when it saw me it started looking a bit scared. It started looking around most likely for Paul, and when it didn't see Paul, it started to panic.

"Eevee calm down." I said.

_Why is Eevee with me?_ I thought.

"Maybe I should check all of my guys just to see if anyone else got mixed up." I said as I opened up all of my Pokéballs.

Out came my Togekiss, a Charmander, a Heracross, A Hitmonlee, and A Xatu.

"Oh no, I must've picked up the wrong Pokéballs. Well looks like I'll have to look after these guys until I can run into Paul and Barry."

"Vee" Eevee said looking sad.

"No need to worry Eevee. We will meet up with Paul sooner or late. I'm sure he's worried sick about you but we'll find him soon." I said.

_In reality I'm sure Paul isn't that worried. He defiantly cares for his Pokémon but he's most likely training even though he has other trainers Pokémon._ I thought.

"Oh no, who got my Deerling and Piplup? Deerlings still just a child and Piplup hates it when I'm not around. So let's see, I bet either Paul or Barry has them. But that doesn't make me feel better. I wouldn't trust either of them with those two Pokémon. Oh no"

"Vee?" Eevee said confused.

"Look Eevee we'll have to start looking for Paul and Barry in a minute so we all reunite." I said.

I then looked over and saw that Paul's Charmander was busy training on its own.

"Wow Paul really trains his Pokémon well. It's kind of hard to believe that their even training when their trainers not around."

"Vee, Vee." Eevee said as it ran up to Charmander.

"Char char." Charmander said in what sounded like a reassuring way.

"Are you trying to calm Eevee down Charmander?" I asked.

"Char" Charmander said as it shook its head moved up and down to show that the answer was yes.

"Wow that's nice of you. You know for a jerk like Paul, he always seems to have some of the nicer Pokémon. Chimchar was always nice, and his Torterra once gave advice to Ash's Torterra back when it was still a Grotle. And here you are helping Eevee and I think Everyone Agrees that Eevee is the sweetest thing."

"Vee" Eevee said happily.

"So I suppose we should still go looking right?" I said as I turned around. I then saw that Barry's Heracross was flying around looking for food.

"Hey Heracross come down." I said but Heracross kept on flying around.

"Darn it. We can't go looking for anyone if Heracross is up there. Charmander think you could help out a bit?" I asked.

"Char." Charmander said as it shot a Flamethrower into the air and hit Heracross and caused it to fly down.

"Nice hit." I said.

"Hera!" Heracross yelled angrily as it suddenly attacked Charmander. It swung its Horn but Charmander ducked and countered with another Flamethrower. However the Flamethrower missed Heracross, and hit Xatu and of course, Xatu got angry and attacked Charmander and Heracross.

"Oh no why does things like this have to happen?" I said. I then looked down at Eevee. "I think the two of us should stay out of this." I then picked Eevee up and walked away to a place where I could stay out of all this fighting but still keep an eye on all of the Pokémon.

_I wish I could stop them somehow but I doubt that I could do anything. I defiantly can't let Eevee get involved in this battle because although it may be powerful, its best move is Return and I doubt Eevee likes me half as much as it likes Paul. God I wonder if things are this crazy for the other two._ I thought to myself.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

I had decided to stay at the spot where we were supposed to meet up at the end of the day. I figured that instead of waiting forever or everyone to come back, I'd get some training done to improve my skills

"Well Empoleon, it's time we continue our training." I said as I threw my Pokéball and out came Empoleon.

"Pol." Empoleon said as it appeared from its Pokéball.

"Look we need to get you to master Surf. It could be an awesome attack and could take out a lot of foes in one blow. So let's continue the training." I said as I set up some rock up in front of Empoleon. "Let's start out small, try to create a wave and only hit the ricks but nothing else. Now use Surf!" I said.

Empoleon created a giant wave but the wave didn't hit the rocks, it went wild and slammed into me (It was a good thing I forgot to change clothes or I would've wasted my time, since I just got soaked again.)

"Okay well that didn't go as good as it should've. I had a feeling it wouldn't be that easy. We'll just have to keep working on it till we get the hang of it." I said.

I then looked around and saw that all my Pokéballs had fallen out of my pockets. I got up and went to get them but then something extremely weird happened. All the Pokéballs opened yet I knew none of them belonged to me. I saw a Torterra, a Squartle, a Drapion, Honchkrow, and a Buneary.

"I don't remember catching any of these Pokémon. Unless, could I have caught all of them in my sleep. No way couldn't that have happened. Well come to think of it, I'm pretty sure these guys all belong to Paul and Dawn so I guess we must've swapped Pokéballs at some point. But when did it happen. Do you have any idea Empoleon?" I asked.

"Pol." Empoleon said as it gave me a rude look that made me think it thought I was an idiot.

"Hey what's your problem? What's with that look! I should fine you. Anyway, I still can't help but wonder how we got stuck with all these Pokémon. I hope that all of mine are with Dawn and Paul. So what do you guys want to do while we wait for them to get back." I said.

Paul's Torterra simple started to fall asleep and his Honchkrow and Drapion didn't even act like they heard me.

"Hey you two, you should be paying more attention. I know how bout we all get some training done." I said but the Drapion continued to ignore me. "Hey you better start listening to me unless you want to get fined!" I yelled but all of Paul's Pokémon still ignored me.

"Squirt, Squartle." Dawn's Squartle said to me as it pointed to the river that we were by.

"What do you want to go swimming?"

"Squirt" The Squartle said with a grin.

"Okay then. Empoleon, we should put a break on training for a bit meanwhile you take this Squartle and go swimming with it."

"Pol" Empoleon said as it hopped into the river with the Squartle and the two of them swam. They looked like they were having fun.

"Now to deal with the rest of Paul's Pokémon, you three need to stop ignoring me. Just cause Paul isn't here doesn't mean you can act disrespectful to me. I'll have you guys know that I'm Paul's number one rival." I said

I then noticed Empoleon giving me another look.

"What is it Empoleon! Are you trying to say I'm not as great of a rival as Ash or maybe Kai? I'll have you know that I can beat anyone who crosses my path!" I said but Empoleon just continued to stare at me like it thought I was an idiot. Forget it." I said annoyed.

I then looked at all of Paul's Pokémon and saw that all three of them were sleeping. "I guess these guys only listen to Paul. Well I'll make them wake up." I said as I picked up a rock and threw it straight at the Drapion. The Rock hit the Drapion and Drapion woke up. "Yea, how did you like that? See how awesome I am." I said.

Suddenly the Drapion started shooting poisons spikes at me. I then ran away and just barely avoided them. The Drapion then tried to chase me but I climbed up a tree to get to safety.

I then looked down and saw Empoleon, Squartle, and even Dawn's Buneary all laughing at what happened.

"I should fine all three of you! Instead of helping me you guys attack me. This is low Empoleon. I expected more from you at least. I mean you are my starter Pokémon." I said annoyed.

_Come to think of it throwing a rock at a sleeping Drapion was a pretty stupid move. Now I'm stuck in a tree and if I go down, that Drapion will kill me. Well this sucks. And of course Empoleon's having too much fun to help me. Sometimes I think the only person I can rely on is myself. One thing is for sure though… I hope Dawn and Paul hurry up and get back here cause I don't want to be stuck in this tree all day and worse of all… I haven't eaten and I'm getting hungry. _I thought.

"Oh god, Dawn and Paul where are you guys? And I wonder how bad you two have it going." I said as I wondered what kind of problems Dawn and Paul would get into if I was already in such a bad mess.

To be continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Well this isn't good._

_Paul: Tell me about it. Now we all have the wrong Pokémon. Nice going Barry._

_Barry: Come on you guys, it's not my fault Empoleon's attack is hard to control._

_Paul: Whatever, We just better fix this soon._

_Dawn: No need to worry, I'm sure things will go well. Anyway thanks for reading the chapter today. Please leave a review and see you all next time._


	24. Chapter 24 Fixing the Mix Up

_Here is the next chapter. Will Paul and the others be able to get their Pokémon back with each other or will they face some annoying situations._

_Just to let you guys know, This is the last week I'm going to keep up my poll for which story I should write next so please check it out and vote on it and to the people that have already, thank you._

_And one more side note, Since I began writing this story, I've gotten over ten thousand views when I posted the last chapter, which is a lot more than I ever thought I'd get on this story so I'd like to thank all of you who have read and reviewed the story so far. I'll try to keep writing good chapters and I hope I can still make the story enjoyable for you guys cause believe me it's not even close to being over. With all that said, let's start the new chapter, I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

**Chapter 24 Fixing the Mix Up**

(Paul's POV)

"Now your asking for it you stupid penguin." I said annoyed.

"Plup" Pilplup said laughing.

The stupid Pokémon shot me with a Hydro Pump earlier and got me soaking wet.

"You're a real pain in my ass and I really can't stand you." I said.

Piplup just stared at me as if it was saying 'Likewise'.

"So mind telling me what your problem is with me?"

"Plup" The Piplup said with an attitude.

"Is it because I am traveling with Dawn and Barr, were you like this with Ash and Brock?" I asked.

"Plup" Piplup said as it shook its head to tell me no.

"So I take it you just hate me."

"Plup" Piplup said as it moved its head up and down to say yes.

"I bet you think you're so funny don't you, you worthless Pokémon. Fine just get back in the Pokéball. I was going to train all of you guys but I guess plans change." I said as I took out the Pokéball and tried to put Piplup back in the ball, but it jumped aside and avoided it.

"Plup" Piplup said

"You pain in my ass. Get in the god damn ball."

"Plup" Piplup said cockily.

"How does Dawn put up with you? I swear you're so annoying. But it doesn't really matter since I'm just going to have to knock you out. Deerling, why don't you use Energy Ball to knock out Piplup?" I said

"Deer" Deerling said as it shook its head back and forth showing me it didn't want to battle Piplup.

_I suppose it wouldn't want to battle a fellow Pokémon that was owned by Dawn. So let's see if Deerling won't battle then my only other choices would be Bagon, Graveler, Bulbasaur, or Skarmory. Bagon hates battling so there's no chance of it fighting Piplup. As much as I want to use groveler, I'm not stupid. Rock types won't last two seconds against a water type and if I remember correctly, even though Dawn never evolved her Piplup, she still raised it to an extremely high level so it's really strong. In fact it's probably as strong as it is stubborn. I also don't feel confident using Barry's Skarmory. I've battled against it once but other than that I've barley seen the Skarmory at all. I don't even know any of its attacks other than Spikes. Plus I know it's not that powerful because it went down in one blow when it faced my Magmortar. So that means my only other choice is to use his Bulbasaur. To be honest I don't like my chances there either. Although Bulbasaur may have a type advantage; it still has not nearly enough experience. So what to do, well I guess I have no choice other than to use Bulbasaur._ I thought to myself.

"Bulbasaur I need you to battle that Piplup." I said.

"Bulba" Bulbasaur said happily as it stepped up to fight.

"At least you listen, now use Razor leaf!" I said.

Bulbasaur fired leafs and hit Piplup dead center.

"Plup" Piplup said angrily and it then fired a Hydro Pump at Bulbasaur and hit it dead center.

"Darn it. Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" I said

Bulbasaur swung its Vines but Piplup jumped over the attack, extended its beak and hit Bulbasaur with a Drill Peck attack!

"Now try Leech Seed!" I said as Bulbasaur fired the attack but once again Piplup dodged the attack and countered with a Bubble beam attack of its own.

I then looked and saw that Bulbasaur was out of breath. "Damn it, there's no way this Bulbasaur can win. Return" I said as I recalled Barry's Bulbasaur back in its Pokéball.

"Plup" Piplup said as it ran off.

"Wonderful, now on top of finding Dawn and Barry, I need to get that stupid Piplup back and convince it to get into its Pokéball. As good as leaving the Piplup sounds; if I did do that then I would never hear the end of it from Dawn. Plus I suppose I would feel a little bad." I said.

I then turned to all the other Pokémon.

"All of you return." I said. Thankfully all of the Pokémon went back in except for Deerling who for some reason wanted to walk around.

"Okay so I guess we're off to find that Piplup." I said as I walked deeper into the forest we were in. "Man how far could that Piplup have gone. We better find it soon or Dawn will never shut up about how I lost her 'darling Piplup'" I said.

"Deer" Deerling said calmly

"Plup" We heard a noise say from nearby.

"That sounds like Piplup. Maybe we'll be able to find it sooner than I thought." I said as I headed toward the voice.

* * *

I then followed the voice until I came I saw were Piplup was. Unfortunately, Piplup was tied up in a web.

"Web? Don't tell me you got stuck in that."

"Plup" Piplup said as it nodded. It looked at me and was clearly begging me to help it.

"I don't know. Didn't you shoot me with water earlier today and get my clothes soaking wet?"

"Plup" Piplup said begging me for help now.

"Fine I'll help. Bulbasaur, come on out and use Razor Leaf to cut the web and set Piplup free!" I said as Bulbasaur came out and used Razor leaf to get Piplup out.

"Plup" Piplup said relieved.

"Happy now, I swear you've more trouble than your worth." I said.

Suddenly Piplup started to shake like crazy.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked

"Plup" Piplup said as it pointed behind me. I turned and saw a bunch of Ariados surrounding us.

"You've got to be kidding me." I said.

"Dos" One of the Ariados's said as it hit Berry's Bulbasaur dead in the stopwatch with a Poison Jab.

_Darn it. Bulbasaur is too weak from earlier. Of course that wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for this stupid Piplup._ I thought as I glared at Dawns Piplup.

I quickly put Bulbasaur back in its Pokéball. "Deerling you should get back in too. Grass types are weak against Poison types." I said.

"Deer" Deerling nodded as it went back into the Pokéball.

"So to beat some Poison types then I guess this Pokémon's the best choice. Graveler stands by for battle!" I said as I sent out my Rock body Pokémon.

I then looked around at the number of Ariados and saw that there were about five of them there. I knew that five Ariados's would be too much to handle with just Graveler but all the other Pokémon I had on me wouldn't be much help.

I then looked at Dawns Piplup. "Look I need you to battle and actually listen to me so we can get past these stupid Ariados. I don't know why you hate me but you going to have to but that stupid hatred aside for a minute just to beat these things. So I'll need to use you in battle." I said.

"Plup" Piplup said as it stared at me for a minute. "Plup" It then said again as it stepped forward and got ready to battle.

"Good then. Piplup use Hydro Pump and Graveler use Rock Blast!" I said as Graveler took a Rock and threw it at an Ariados a Piplup Fired its Hydro Pump and took down two more.

The other two Ariados's both shot out a combined String shot.

"Both of you dodge it!" I said as Piplup jumped in the air and Graveler rolled to the side to escape the attack.

The Ariados then both shot out a poison sting attack that hit Piplup and Graveler.

"Not bad but I think it's time to end this. Graveler use Earthquake and Piplup jump in the air to dodge the Earthquake, and use Bubble Beam!" I said

Piplup jumped in the air and fired Bubble beam weakening the remaining two Ariados and then Graveler used Earthquake to finish the two off. The Ariados then ran away and left the area.

"Not too bad. Pity those Ariados escaped before I could catch one but then again they seemed like they weren't that strong Pokémon so I doubt that any of them would be much of a good addition." I said. I then turned to Piplup. "Now are you ready to head back and see if we could find Barry and Dawn." I asked hoping that Dawns Piplup would finally listen.

"Plup" Piplup said as it nodded.

"Good then. Bout Time, Piplup, Graveler return!" I said as I put both Pokémon back into their Pokéballs. "Good now that that's done with, I should probably head back and try to find Barry and Dawn before something else crazy happens." I said as I headed back to where Barry and Dawn said we'd meet.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

This is crazy Eevee. I can't believe all of these Pokémon are fighting with one another." I said as he and Eevee waited by the waterfall.

"Vee" Eevee said

"I'm worried. I hope they will stop fighting eventually but I'm a little scared that they might not. So how are we supposed to stoop them if they never do?"

"Vee" Eevee said looking ready to battle.

"I can't battle Eevee my only Pokémon are Togekiss and you and I don't want to make you fight."

"Vee" Eevee said in an agreeing way.

"Man I never thought all of our guys getting switched up would be such a pain. Man I'm also worried about who Piplup and Deerling may have ended up with. If Piplup ended up with Paul, I know things would go bad. Piplup is always very protective and it worries about me a lot. Pus since Paul usually acts like a jerk, Piplup has grown to not like Paul. He just thinks Paul is always mean."

"Vee, Eevee." Eevee said as if to say 'He's not always like that.'

"Look Eevee, I know better than anyone that Paul is actually very nice. Maybe I know that even better then he knows it himself. But I guess that must be why you're always so happy to be around Paul."

"Vee!" Eevee said happily.

"Yea although I have a feeling that Reggie always knew Paul had a nice side to him. He must've. Still I got to say, I thought he was a jerk for a while but one thing really made me change my opium on him. When we were in the Pokémon Tower, I was really scared but Paul helped calm me down. It made me realize that Paul was actually a good friend. But that's just between you and I so don't tell him." I said to Eevee.

"Vee" Eevee said agreeing.

I then looked back toward were all the Pokémon were battling and I saw that most of them looked really tired and almost beaten.

"Well I guess if there's a time to try to catch them, now would be the best time. It's getting late and I'm sure Paul and Barry will be worried sick if I don't show up. So I guess we should try to face the others." I said.

I looked at all the Pokémon that were fighting. Charmander and Heracross both looked extremely tired. Xatu and Hitmonlee also looked tired but not nearly as tired as the other two.

_Guess I really have to do this now. I just hope I can win with just Togekiss and Eevee._ I thought

"Okay Eevee let's go!" I said as Eevee ran up to battle.

"Vee!" Eevee said.

"Use dig on Charmander!" I said as Eevee dug a hole and came up right in front of Charmander, and then slammed into it.

Charmander then struggled to its feet looked annoyed at Eevee. "Char Char Charmander" Charmander said to Eevee sounding annoyed.

'Vee Vee Eevee" Eevee said back.

"Char." Charmander said sounding a little embarrassed. Charmander then walked up to me and nodded its head.

"Huh? Oh right I guess you want me to call you back well then Charmander return!" I said as Charmander came back into its Pokéball.

"Vee." Eevee said happily.

"How did you get Charmander to come back so easily? Oh wait did you explain the situation to him?" I asked. Eevee nodded and smiled at this.

_"_Well thanks then. That made things a lot easier. Now we only have to beat three more guys." I said happily. I then looked and saw Heracross was almost down now. "That one's next and to beat it, I think I'll use Togekiss. Now come on out and take the Spotlight!" I sailed as Togekiss flew out. "Use aura Sphere on Heracross!" I said as Togekiss shot out its Aura Sphere and hit Heracross.

Heracross then swung its horn and tried to hit Togekiss, but Togekiss was able to fly in the air and dodge it easily.

"Good now use Sky attack!" I said as Togekiss began to charge up.

Heracross tried to sing its horn to hit Togekiss, but every time, Togekiss would just go higher into the air to dodge the attack and Togekiss would then continue to charge up for Sky attack. After a little bit, Togekiss then flew straight toward Heracross and slammed into it dealing massive damage. Heracross then went flying backwards and was finished.

"All right, now return Heracross!" I said as I put Heracross back in its Pokéball. "Now I just need to get Xatu and Hitmonlee back. And I think we should take out Hitmonlee next!" I said as I turned to the Hitmonlee.

"Use Air Slash!" I said

Togekiss slashed Hitmonlee with the Air and knocked Hitmonlee back a few feet.

"Good, now use Air Slash once again!" I said.

Togekiss went to hit Hitmonlee again, but this time Hitmonlee jumped over Togekiss and kicked it with great power. Togekiss got knocked down to the ground and then got back up after taking some damage.

"Try Aura Sphere!" I said.

"Togekiss fired its Aura Sphere attack, but Hitmonlee took its leg and kicked the attack away. Hitmonlee then Jumped in the air and started going flying toward Togekiss.

"That's High Jump Kick. If it hits then that means major trouble. But if it misses, then Hitmonlee takes a lot of Damage. Togekiss you have to dodge that move!" I said.

Luckily, Togekiss was able to dodge the attack. Hitmonlee kept going and crashed into the ground and ended up taking serious damage!

"All right, now let end this with Air Slash!" I said

Togekiss hit Hitmonlee with its Air Slash attack and knocked it out for good. I then took a Pokéball and threw it so Hitmonlee returned to the Pokéball.

"Now just one Pokémon left to catch." I said happily as I walked up to Xatu.

"Time to get you back in your Pokéballs, Togekiss use Aura Sphere!" I said

Togekiss fired its Aura Sphere but Xatu quickly countered the move by firing a Shadow Ball attack of its own. The two attacks collided and cancelled each other out.

"Now use Extreme Speed!" I said as Togekiss quickly ran into Xatu with great speed.

Xatu's Eyes suddenly began to glow blue but nothing happened.

"Use Air Slash!" I said as Togekiss slashed the air and hit Xatu but after the attack hit, Togekiss suddenly took some damage. I then realized that the attack Xatu used must've been Future Sight.

"Togekiss Return!" I said as I call back Togekiss because I realized it was probably too tired.

"Eevee let's go!" I said as Eevee stepped forward to battle.

"Vee!"

"Use Take Down!" I said as Eevee slammed into Xatu,

Xatu then fired a Shadow Ball but it passed straight through Eevee.

"Ghost Type Moves don't work on Normal types. Sorry but that plan won't work! Now Eevee use Take Down Once more!" I said as Eevee once again hit Xatu.

Suddenly Xatu's Eyes started to glow blue again.

"I cant let that hit again. Use Return!" I said as Eevee slammed into Xatu and knocked Xatu out.

"Vee!" Eevee said happily.

"Awesome now Xatu return!" I said as I called Xatu back. "Well that's all of them back where they belong. But to be honest I'm kind of shocked that things went so well especially with the Return attack. I thought it would be weird but it worked fine. I'm glad though so I guess this means that you like me more than I thought you did."

"Vee."

"Good to know. Well Know that we got everyone back, what you say we start to head back and try to find Paul and Barry."

"Vee vee." Eevee said getting excited

"Good then let's go and find them cause I bet you want to see Paul again." I said as we headed back to the meeting place.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

"Well its boring being up her. If I don't get down I swear someone's getting fined!" I said annoyed.

It felt like it had been forever and I was still stuck up in a tree because Paul's crazy Drapion wanted to kill me.

"Darn it. Hey Empoleon please come over here and help me." I yelled but Empoleon was relaxing inside the water with Dawns Squirtle.

I swear it was becoming really annoying and dangerous since we switched Pokémon. This wouldn't have happened If Paul taught his Pokémon to do what other trainers say but no instead he lets them do as they please. And the Drapion had no respect for an awesome trainer like me talk about a pain.

"Hey listen you stupid Drapion, You better start listening to me or else I'm going to fine you!" I said.

"Drap!" Drapion yelled as it shot out some poison sting attacks my way and I just barley was able to dodge them.

"This is anything but cool. I swear I think I'm going to die up here. Nooo that can't happen so much left to do so much to accomplish and so many people to fine." I said.

"Even from far away you still give me a head ache. What on earth are you whining about know." I heard a voice say that sounded like Paul's.

"I must be going crazy now I hear Paul's voice. Why on earth am I even hearing his voice? If I were to imagine hearing someone's voice, you'd think that it would be a cute girl but instead it's Paul. Nothing makes any sense." I said freaking out.

"You make no sense you idiot. Look behind you, I'm right there." The voice said again and I turned around and saw Paul at the bottom of the tree.

"Oh hey Paul you're really there, so how's it hanging?"

"I should be asking you that. You're the one stuck in a tree after all. So why you are up there and why is my Drapion at the bottom of it looking really angry?" Paul asked

"Funny story about that, you see I wanted to train all the Pokémon but Dawn's Squirtle wanted to go swimming so I turned to your guys and thought I'd train them. But they wouldn't do a damn thing I said. Your Drapion even started to take a nap. It was crazy. So to wake it up, I threw a rock at it but it kind of got mad and chased me up this tree. So you think you can help me get down."

"Well I'm convinced."

"Bout what?"

"I'm convinced that you are and idiot. Why would you throw a rock at a sleeping Pokémon, That's just stupid?"

"I get it now help me down. Or I'll fine you!"

"Okay fine. Drapion stop trying to kill Barry." Paul said as Drapion looked at him for a second and then walked away and then it went and lay down to go back to sleep. I then climbed down and greeted Paul.

"So I take it you realized that our guys kind of got mixed up."

"Yea I realized that after it was too late that is."

"Yea it was a pain especially with Drapion."

"Why on earth didn't you just use the Pokéball to put Drapion back inside of it?"

"… Oh yea. I suppose I could've done that. I guess I forgot."

"You really are an idiot aren't you?"

"I am not; By the way, do you have any food on you. I haven't eaten and I'm starving."

"I do not."

"Darn it, I'm never getting food. Now we must wait till Dawn gets here."

"That would be the plan since we need her here to exchange all of our guys."

"Good then hopefully she will get here fast."

"Agreed, But until then, we should probably get all my guys back so we can get all the correct Pokémon back to the right trainers." Paul told me

"Sounds good" I said

I then put all of the Pokémon that were out back into their Pokéballs.

"Okay that's everyone. So which of my guys do you have?" I asked Paul.

"I have your Bulbasaur and your Skarmory." Paul told me.

"If you add those two with the Empoleon I have on me then that makes three of my guys so that means Dawn must have the other three." I said.

"Sounds about right, which means she must only have two of my guys. I think we should, take a pile of Pokéballs that goes with each trainer." Paul said.

Paul and I then put my three guys in one pile and then made two more piles, one for Paul's guys and one for Dawns guys.

"So let's see. So far we have three of your guys, four of my guys, and five of Dawns guys." Paul said.

"Yea Dawns guys are Deerling, Squirtle, Piplup, Bagon, and Buneary."

"And my guys are Drapion, Torterra, Honchkrow, and Graveler. That means Dawn must still have my Eevee and Charmander."

"Yea and it also means she must have my Xatu, Heracross, and my Hitmonlee."

"Still I'm glad."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well it's a relief that Dawn got Eevee and Charmander and not you. If you got Eevee, you could've killed it. That would've been quite bad."

"What does that mean? I'm very responsible."

"You say that but didn't you get chased up a tree by my Drapion. Tell me does that sound Responsible."

"I'm going to fine you!" I yelled

* * *

We then continued to wait a little while longer until we heard a sound.

"Vee" We heard the sound say.

"Hey that sounds like?" I said

Suddenly a Eevee ran out of the woods and jumped up on Paul.

"Vee" Eevee said happily.

"You seem happy to see Paul again." I said with a grin

"Eevee please cut it out." Paul said sounding a bit embarrassed.

"Eevee don't run off like that." We heard a voice that sounded like Dawns say.

We both looked up and Saw Dawn come out of the woods. For some reason she was covered in dirt.

"Oh hey, Looks like I finally found you guys. Man have I been worried." Dawn said sounding relieved.

"Look who finally decided to show up. Bout time" Paul said

"So I guess you two must've been waiting here. Hope it wasn't long."

"Not too long. So I take it you got the rest of our guys." Paul said.

"Oh yea right, Well you already got your Eevee back. I got your Charmander and Barry's Hitmonlee, Heracross, and Xatu, although it wasn't easy. I had to battle all of them because they all started fighting with one another. Things became a mess." Dawn told us.

"I take it that that's the reason you're covered in dirt." I said.

"Dirt, What are you talking about?" Dawn said a she started looking at herself. "Ah! What happened? I'm filthy. This sucks and I even changed clothes from when I got soaking wet." Dawn said annoyed.

"Yea well it hasn't been easy for any of us. Your Piplup fired Hydro Pump at me and got me soaking wet after I changed clothes." Paul said.

"Man that must suck. I just didn't change clothes so I'm fine." I said proudly.

"Well lucky you" Dawn and Paul both said.

We all then decided to get all the Pokémon back to the right trainers. After everyone had their correct guys, we decided to all talk about what happened to us while we had the switched guys.

"Sure sounds like we all had it pretty rough huh." Dawn said after we all finished talking.

"Yea it sure shocked me at how annoying it was to have all different Pokémon that didn't want to obey me." I said.

"I also can't believe Paul had to battle a bunch of Ariados. Piplup and I once had to face a few of them on our first day of our journey. Man that had to be crazy." Dawn said.

"Yea but we were able to win pretty easily."

"That's good. I still think that it's funny how hard it was to deal with the other Pokémon even though we've all been traveling together for a while."

"I guess it goes to show that Pokémon are most compatible with the person who caught them, so even the best trainer can still lose if they don't have their original Pokémon." Paul explained.

"Yea I know defiantly something interesting. Still as crazy as today was, I kind of had fun." I said.

"You were stuck in a tree all day and you say you had fun. Whatever." Paul said.

"Yea but I think it was fun too and we learned something interesting." Dawn said.

"And I still intend to master my Empoleon's Surf attack. So overall we had a good day."

"Whatever you say, just don't practice that move when we're around." Paul said.

Dawn and I laughed at this. One thing was for sure, today was crazy but I still was glad we got to use each other's Pokémon.

To be continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Well I finally have all my guys back. I was a little afraid that they wouldn't be okay since they were alone with you two._

_Paul: Believe me, your Piplup was more trouble to me than I was to it._

_Barry: Yea and Paul's Pokemon chased me up a tree. This whole day has been crazy._

_Dawn: Yea but its all good cause next chapter we'll finally be in Vermillion city. I cant wait to arrive there._

_Paul: And then you can get your ribbon and Barry can lose at the gym._

_Barry: Hey, cut it out or I'm gonna fine you._

_Dawn: Im sure you'll do fine Barry. Anyway thanks for reading, we hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review. See you next time and thanks again for helping this story get over Ten Thousand view, it means a lot to all of us. Well see you guys later, bye. _


	25. Chapter 25 Ping Pong

_Well heres the next chapter. And just so you guys all know, the poll I put up has been brought down. The story that won overall is Pokemon: The Shadow Pokemon Strike Back so I'll start writing that one and you should see it posted in about one or two weeks. I'll let you all know when its up in a chapter here. In case you forgot, the Pokemon story takes place after the events of the games Pokemon Colloseum and Pokemon XD. With all that said, I think it's time to start the next chapter I hope you enjoy it and please leave a review._

_Also just to let you guys know I went back to my old chapter and added in Page breaker lines at the parts were the scenes changed because I just recently learned how to. Just thought I'd tell you guys that. Well with that said, lets begin._

* * *

**Chapter 25 Returning to the Ping Pong Game**

(Dawns POV)

We had just arrived in Vermillion city and we were going to head too have Barry face LT. Surge.

"Man I can't wait for my gym battle." Barry said as he ran up to where the gym was.

"We just got here and the first thing he does is run to the gym." Paul said annoyed.

"Come on; let him have his fun after all it's been awhile since he's had a battle so he's excited." I said.

"Aw man!" We heard Barry yell

"What's the matter?" I asked wondering what could've made Barry get so annoyed.

"Look." Barry said as he pointed to the front of the gym.

On the gym was a sign. "Let's see what it says. 'To all trainers, the gym will be closed for today and tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience.' So the gym's closed huh. Man that sucks." I said after I finished reading the sign.

"Must be a pain, But either way, you'll just have to wait a few days. No big deal." Paul said

"It is a big deal. I wanted to battle today but now I can't. I should fine someone." Barry said

"Come on you guys. Let's just look around this place and have a fun time." I suggested

"Okay fine." Barry said disappointed.

"We might as well see what this place has. Who knows we may find some interesting things." Paul said

"Glad you both agree with me so let's go." I said.

Vermillion city actually had a lot of stuff to do. They had a Pokémon fan club place, a few good looking restaurants and even a beautiful beech. I was having a great time exploring the place. Paul and Barry on the other hand didn't seem to be enjoying themselves as much.

"I can't believe there's nothing here." Paul said.

"How can you say that? There are so many cool places we all got to go and visit. Like the beach or the Pokémon fan club." I said

"Look both of those things seem like a waste of my time so let's not go to them." Paul said.

"There is no way; we are defiantly not going to visit them no matter what. It'll fun and a good way to relax which is something you two need to do." I said.

"Okay how bout I agree to go to the stupid Pokémon fan club place but there's no way I'd ever go to the beach." Paul told me.

"Why not?" I asked

"Because beeches are stupid, you go stand on boiling hot sand that gets stuck in your feet and you're surrounded by a bunch of people you don't know. Not to mention the water is a big pain. Salt water is annoying as hell when it gets in your eyes or mouth and also you could run into wild Tentacool if you go in the water." Paul said.

"The water we would be swimming in isn't deep enough for any Pokémon to go in so we'll be fine. Look it won't be fun unless we all go right Barry."

"Yep you're right there. So you have to come with us Paul."

"Do we even have any swimming clothes to wear?" Paul asked.

"Well no, but it's really no big deal. We can always just go to the store and buy some so it'll be easy." I said happily.

Paul then sighed at this. "Fine we'll do things your way but you better be right about there being no Pokémon." Paul said.

"Awesome now we just need to decide on a day to go but which one would be good?" I said thinking.

"Well any day but today." Barry said.

"Why's that?" Paul and I asked.

"Because we need to go into that building first" Barry said as he pointed to a building with a huge sign over it that read. 'O's Pokémon Ping Pong Training Center'.

"No way, could that really be O's place." I said getting excited.

"Looks like it." Barry said happily.

"Who's O?" Paul asked us.

"What? You don't know who O is." Barry said annoyed.

"No. Why should I. If so then sorry for not knowing someone" Paul said

"Look Paul, O is the master at Pokémon Ping Pong. Dawn and I once faced him in a Ping Pong tournament but he was able to beat both of us like it was nothing." Barry said

"I never knew you two played Ping Pong?" Paul said slightly surprised.

"Well we're not really. We just entered the tournament for fun. You see we really didn't have much experience." Dawn said.

"Oh then this O guy must be amazing for being able to defeat a beginner at something he's an expert on." Paul said.

"You don't get it; even though we were beginners Dawn was amazing at it. She was able to defeat so many people by herself and she even almost beat O." Barry said

"That's right Paul. Plus O ended up being the guy I left Ambipom with so Ambipom could train and become a great master at Ping Pong. So from what I know, O was training Ambipom really well. Of course I did end up asking for Ambipom to come back since my mom told me she wanted me to leave on a new journey soon and as you guys know shortly after I ended up coming to Kanto with the two of you. But yea so O ended up training Ambipom and you saw how good Ambipom's training made it." I explained to Paul.

"Yes it must be truly amazing to become a master in Ping Pong." Paul said sarcastically.

"You'd be surprised Paul. A lot of people love Ping Pong and want to learn how to become masters at it. You should try it out for a quick go. Besides it also helps build and test the bond between a trainer and his Pokémon." Dawn said.

"So something like that is actually supposed to help with training. I doubt that but let's see this just in case." Paul said

"So you mean you want to enter?" Barry said.

"Yea sure, we're not doing anything else are we? SO let's see what this place is all about." Paul said.

"Great. And who knows maybe we'll even be able to run into O in the place. It is his training room after all." I said happily as the three of us headed toward the building and entered it.

The inside of the place had tons of Ping Pong tables and at all the tables, we saw all trainers practicing with their Pokémon to get better at Ping Pong.

"Wow looks like Pokémon Ping Pong is a little more popular then you thought huh Paul." I said

"I'll admit that this place is a lot more filled then I thought. Still I don't see the point in all this." Paul said.

"Whatever. Maybe we should all try playing a game with each other." I suggested.

"Sounds fun" Barry said.

"We might as well. If we don't then I suppose it would be pointless coming here." Paul said.

"Awesome. This should be fun." I said.

The three of us walked up to an available table and decided to play a few rounds.

"So how do you play this game exactly?" Paul asked.

"Well you choose one Pokémon and you work with it to win the Ping Pong game. You usually try to see who can get to a certain amount of points. Like say we want to play a game to ten points. Obviously the first person to get to ten points wins the game." I explained.

"Sounds simple" Paul said.

"Also, the Pokémon can't use a paddle but you can. The Pokémon is forced to use only parts of its own body and it can't use any of its attacks." I said.

"Makes sense I suppose." Paul said.

"So want to play a round?" I asked.

"Why not, I'll be using my Charmander for this match." Paul said as he sent out his Charmander and then he picked up a paddle.

"Good choice. Many of your Pokémon are too big to use. Charmander would be the smartest choice."

"I know that, that's why I chose it."

"Okay then. I'll be using my Ambipom." I said as I picked up a paddle and called out my Ambipom. "Good news Ambipom. We're going to be playing a few more rounds of Ping Pong." I said with a grin.

"Pom!" Ambipom said happily as it jumped up and down and got excited.

"Ambipom seems to be really excited." Paul said.

"Yea I know right? Ambipom love Ping Pong. Don't forget, it chose Ping Pong over contest. So it gets really into the game." I said.

"Well you said it trained hard right. Let's see how hard it has." Paul said.

"Right let's start this game." I said

* * *

We played a few rounds and I ended up winning all of them (Which annoyed Paul a lot). Afterwards, Paul played a few rounds against Barry and lost to Barry (Again, this annoyed Paul). And finally, I played against Barry and I beat him all the times.

"Man you really great at this Dawn. You've gotten even better then back in the tournament." Barry admitted.

"Thanks Barry but all the credit really goes to Ambipom. He's been training hard with O and it really shows doesn't it?"

"Pom, pom" Ambipom said happily.

"It good to see how good you've gotten at this game but then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

"I still can't believe I got beat so bad." Paul said.

"I know. Looks like we've finally found something Barry can beat you at Paul."

"This and eating" Paul said.

"Good one Paul." Barry said laughing.

"I was being dead serious Barry." Paul said.

"Don't feel bad though Paul. I and Barry have both had experience with the game before and you're just a beginner. So it's only natural that you'd struggle a bit at first. Plus don't forget, you're not much one for competitions like these." Dawn said,

"Yea so it's no big deal. You just have to practice a bit and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." Barry said.

"As fun as that sounds, I don't think this suits my style. No offense but it just doesn't suit me, besides didn't Dawn make it to the semifinals at her first Ping Pong tournament so I get the feeling that some trainers and Pokémon are just good from the beginning?" Paul said.

"Yea I guess so too. Ambipom has always been great at Ping Pong even from the beginning. It was like the moment it picked up a Ping Pong ball, it was just always good at it." Dawn said

"Well I guess some Pokémon are just naturally good at certain things." Paul said.

"You guys got to swing harder, and out more effort into it." We heard a voice say.

We all looked around the room some more and saw O training some kids.

"O!" I yelled as we all ran up to him.

"Huh. Who is that?" O said as he turned around to see who called his name. When he saw us, he was shocked. "Well if it isn't Dawn and Barry. So what are you two doing here?"

"We're on a new journey in Kanto so we came to this city and remembered that you teach Ping Pong so we thought we'd stop by for a visit." I said.

"Well that's great. So how has Ambipom been since I returned her to you. I hope you've noticed the progress she's made."

"Of course and it's a huge help so thanks for teaching it. Not only did its skills at Ping Pong increase but so did its acrobats and reflexes."

"Well that would happen. After all you need those thing to be great at Pokémon Ping Pong. Oh who's this friend of yours?' O asked when he noticed Paul.

"My names Paul" Paul said.

"Paul huh nice to meet you, I'm O. I'm a professional at Pokémon Ping Pong." O said proudly.

"Yea I know. Dawn and Barry told me. Dawn also said that you were the one trained her Ambipom."

"Well I helped but the real credit goes to her Ambipom for being such a hard worker."

"I suppose so." Paul said.

"So are you a Ping Pong player too?" O asked.

"He played a few rounds against me and Dawn but he kept on losing. Believe me when I say, Ping Pong isn't his game. He sucks at it." Barry said while laughing as Paul just glared at him.

"It just doesn't fit my style." Paul said annoyed

"Well not everyone can love it, too bad you're not good at it." O said.

"Not really, there are other things I do. So it's not a big deal if I'm bad at this one thing."

"That's true. Good way to look at it Paul." I said

"Definitely. So Dawn have you been improving in Ping Pong at all?" O asked.

"Well sadly I haven't had any time to practice since I've been busy with contest and everything." Dawn said.

"Oh well how bout we have a little practice match just for fun." O suggested.

"Sure why not. Sounds like fun." I said.

"Good then. GO Shiftry!" O said as he sent out his Ping Pong partner.

"And I'll use Ambipom!" I said as Ambipom stepped up to play the game.

"Good let's get started. First to ten wins" O said as we both grabbed a paddle and started playing.

O quickly hit the ball toward me but I was able to knock it back. He then had Shiftry hit it but then Ambipom hit it straight back at great speed giving me a point.

"One to nothing" I said

"Not for long. There's not way I'm losing." O said confidently.

* * *

We kept on playing for a while longer but for the most part, we were evenly matched. Any hit O would send, Ambipom and I would be able to counter it but O and Shiftry were just as good. After what had to be over an hour, we both got tied at 9 to 9.

"This has been going on for over an hour. Man this is taking forever." Paul said.

"Yea but it sure is getting intense right." Barry said.

"It was cool at first but now it's just getting repetitive. It's becoming a bit of a bore." Paul said

"I have no idea what you mean by that. This is really intense. Just look at the pure passion in their eyes. I mean come on Paul just look how into the game both of them are. And Dawns also doing even better than the last time she faced O." Barry told Paul.

"I suppose you have a point. Still I wish this match would hurry up and end."

"There's no way your beating me Dawn!" O said to me as he sent the ball flying straight toward us.

"Wrong, I'm winning this one. I won't loss to you again!" I said as I hit the ball straight back at him.

O and Shiftry were able to hit the ball back at me once again and this time it was coming in fast. I wasn't able to hit it, but Ambipom was able to knock it back toward them at the last second. The ping Pong ball went flying toward O and Shiftry at a speed so great that they couldn't possible hit it.

"All right, looks like I win!" I said excited as the ball flew straight past O and Shiftry and headed toward the ground.

Suddenly, Shiftry appeared behind the ball at a speed so great, the I could barely even see it move.

"What the, How is Shiftry so fast?" I said shocked beyond belief. Shiftry then quickly hit the Ping Pong ball with its arm with such great force; the ball flew right past me and Ambipom and got O and Shiftry the final point.

"And with that I win." O said proudly.

"Aw man. I can't believe I lost again." I said annoyed

"Don't feel bad. It was much closer than the last time we played a game and I even had to have Shiftry move at its top speed. Trust me when I say that almost never happens." O said

"How on earth did you get your Shiftry to become so fast?" Paul asked.

"We just trained really hard. I knew that if we worked on Shiftry's speed and reflex's, we would be unbeatable. So we worked on that and eventually we became an unstoppable team."

"Man you guys sure are great. I bet you and Shiftry never loss." Barry said.

"You'd be wrong then. We've had our fair share of defeats in the past but because we lost, we were able to learn and improve so that we all became great Ping Pong players. But I suppose that would go with anything in life wouldn't it?" O said

"I guess so. Anyway thanks for the awesome ping pong match O. I guess we should be going now." I said.

"Sounds good, By the way are you going to keep using Ambipom or do you want to leave it here so it could decide?" O asked.

"Well I'd rather continue using Ambipom for a while but if it wants to go back here and train some more then I would understand. So what do you want to do Ambipom?"

"Pom" Ambipom said to show that it still wanted to continue traveling with me.

"Great then I guess I'll hang on to Ambipom but as soon as our journeys in Kanto are over, I promise that I'll send her back to you."

"I appreciate that. Take your time though. So if you don't mind me asking, what are the two of you doing in Kanto? I know Dawn is entering contests but what about you two?" O asked Paul and Barry.

"I'm challenging the battle frontier." Paul stated.

"Really well from what I hear that's quite the challenge. Good luck to you then. And what about you Barry"

"I'm going to challenge all the Kanto gyms. Even though I won't be able to get enough badges in time, I still intend to collect the badges."

"I see but if you know you can't enter the league this year then why don't you just wait till next year?" O asked.

"Huh. You can do that seriously?!" Barry asked getting excited.

"Of course, my training facility is right near one of the gyms so I know. All you need is to have eight gym badges and you can enter. You may not make this year's league but you'll have a full year to prepare for next year's one."

"Awesome! Guys this is great news." Barry said energetically.

"How is this good news? Are you really going to tell me that you'll wait here for a full year just preparing for the Indigo League?" Paul asked.

"That's exactly what I'm planning." Barry said. "Come on it'll be fun if the three of us wait here.

"The three of us, when did Dawn and I get dragged into this?" Paul asked.

"It's what friends do for each other and besides what else are you going to do?"

"He does have a point Paul. I mean after Kanto what's next?" Dawn said

"You could always go to Hoen or Johto for some other contests and I bet I could visit that place Ash is in." Paul said.

"Come on Paul don't be like that. This is important to me." Barry pleaded.

"I'll… think about so maybe." Paul said.

"Aw how nice of you Paul." I teased. Still I was a little surprised that Paul actually agreed to do that. I know he said maybe but it was still a really nice thing to do.

"Oh right before I forget. You guys do know that the gym leader isn't in his gym today right?" O said

"Yea we know. That's why we decided to come here. Figured it'd be fun" Barry said.

"Okay well then I should tell you, he said he'd be back in a few days. He just was a little busy today but he'll be back soon so doesn't worry." O told us.

"Awesome. This means that soon I can earn another badge!" Barry said happily.

"Isn't that great Barry?" I said. I then turned to O. "Thanks for telling us.

"No problem. So are you guys going to get leaving?" O asked.

"Yea I think so. It's been fun but we should get going." I said as we all turned to leave.

"Well that was fun." Barry said.

"I know right? Who would've ever thought we'd see O. I completely forgot his training facility was in Vermilion city plus we now when Barry can challenge the gym. And we also found something that Paul sucks at." I teased.

"Will you cut it out?" Paul yelled annoyed.

"Aw but your just so cute when your angry." I said jokingly as me and Barry both ran ahead.

Today was a fun day with many interesting things but it was fun facing O again and I hope Barry does well when the time comes for him to face the gym.

To be continued.

* * *

_Dawn: It was fun playing Ping Pong against O again._

_Barry: Yea and next chapter I'm challenging the gym so I can earn my next badge._

_Paul: Don't screw this up_

_Barry: I'll do fine trust me_

_dawn: Okay everyone so next time Barry will challenge the gym but will he be able to win. You'll just have to wait and find out. Anyway thanks for reading todays chapter, we hope you enjoyed it. Please Review so we know what you thought. See you next time, bye._


	26. Chapter 26 Vs Lt Surge

_Well it's finally time for Barry to face another gym. Will he be able to succeed or is he getting into more then he can handle. Well lets root for him and hope he does okay. I wanted to let you guys know that this chapter in particular I had a lot of fun writing so I hope you like it. So with all that said, lets begin the new chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 26 The Shocking Battle With Lt. Surge**

(Barry's POV)

"All right, we're finally here!" I said full of excitement as we arrived in Vermillion City.

"Calm down please. You're making a fool of yourself and also embarrassing us." Paul said.

"I can't help it you guys. I'm just so hyped up to earn my third badge."

"True but Dawns about to try to earn her third ribbon but she's remaining calm about it. If you get so excited then you'll lose focus and just cause your own defeat." Paul told me.

"Look I'll win, Trust me."

"Do you even know anything about this gym leaver? Because the past two times, you forgot to study. So I bet you didn't even look up any information about this guy."

"Ha shows what you know Paul. Prepare to be surprised. I looked up stuff about him. His name is Lt. Surge. He uses electric type Pokémon. Out of all of his Pokémon, his best is his Raichu. It's been known to defeat many of its opponents Pokémon. It also used to be an extremely slow Pokémon because Surge evolved it quickly but Surge learned about that weakness and was able to turn his Raichu into an extremely fast and powerful Pokémon." I said.

"What you actually studied for once!" Paul and Dawn said at the same time. They both sounded extremely shocked and they looked like they couldn't believe what I just said.

"What Paul and I mean is that were very impressed that you thought things out instead of just rushing into things. Right Paul" Dawn said.

"I was going to say that I'm shocked that you're not being your usual stupid self but I suppose they mean the same thing." Paul said

"You couldn't resist being a jerk could you?" Dawn said annoyed.

"I could've but I thought it would be more to annoy you." Paul replied.

"Fine whatever, anyway we should head to the Pokémon center to prepare for the battle." Dawn said.

_Well I was scared for a minute that those two would get into a big fight but they didn't. Got to say they have been getting along pretty well so far. Well compared to how they used to be. I mean they still annoy each other._ I thought to myself as I laughed a bit.

"What are you laughing at Barry?" Paul asked me.

"It's a secret." I said.

"Why must you always act like a child? Anyway, let's head to the Pokémon center to prepare." Paul said as he repeated what Dawn said earlier.

"No need to you guys. I'm already perfectly prepared for this battle and I can't wait so let's go straight to the gym and battle the leader." I said.

"Aw. But I wanted to rest a bit beforehand. After all it would be nice to relax or maybe we could get something to eat first." Dawn said hopefully.

"No way" I said the very instant Dawn finished talking.

"Give it up Dawn. You know how he is when it comes to battles. We'll just eat as soon as Barry finishes." Paul said.

"Fine I guess so. There is no point in arguing with him after all." Dawn said.

"Right, so let's all head to the gym I just hope the battle isn't too quick." Paul said.

"Oh it will be trust me." I said.

"With that much over confidence I'm sure it will be."

"Isn't overconfidence usually a bad thing? How will it help me win any faster?" I asked.

"Barry. Just stop." Dawn said as I stared at her confused. I also started hearing Paul laugh a bit which tended to be an extremely rare thing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Nothing at all" Paul said simply.

I decided to not ask any more questions and decided to just head to the gym. It took us a few minutes to find the gym but we found it and then entered it. The gym was a pretty plain area that had your classic style battle field.

"Barry isn't that Mat." Paul said to me.

And he was right. Inside the room we saw Mat standing on one side of the field looking rather disappointed.

"It is. Hey Mat what's up!" I yelled as Mat turned to face me.

"Huh no way, Paul, Dawn, and Barry. What's up you guys. Good to see you guys." Mat said happily. "Say you didn't happen to see that did you?" He asked as he looked a bit embarrassed.

"Saw what. Did you just have a gym battle?" I asked.

"Sound like you lost." Paul said simply.

"Sadly yea, this gym leader sure is strong. I thought things were going well but his final Pokémon just destroyed us."

"The gym leader huh and who would that be?" I asked.

Suddenly a man walked up to us. "Are you children here for a gym battle." The man asked us.

"I am." I told the man.

"IS that so interesting? Boss looks like we found you some new victims." The man said in a cocky manner.

"Is that any way to treat a challenger?" Dawn said annoyed.

"We only give respect to the trainers that prove they deserve it. Unlike this little baby here" The man said as he looked at Mat.

"Jerk" Mat said silently.

"Well aren't they pleasant." Paul said sarcastically.

"Couldn't agree more, look wares the gym leader of this place."

"Right here" A man said as he walked up to us. The man was huge and boy do I mean huge. He towered above all of us and he was jacked like crazy."

"Is this guy Lt. Surge?" I asked

"Bit bigger then you thought right Barry." Dawn whispered to me.

"You could say that." I said.

"I'm the gym leader. Welcome to the gym so which of you babies are going to be my next victims." Lt. Surge told us.

"Babies" Dawn said a bit shocked. Honestly if she didn't ask about it I would've.

"You see everyone's who loses to me is a baby." Surge said as he laughed a bit.

"Great logic, except for the fact that you haven't defeated any of us yet." Paul said.

"Quite the attitude this little baby has. Well are you going to be the one I get to beat?"

"If only I could be so lucky. Barry makes sure to win okay. Don't mess up." Paul said to me.

"Uh thanks a bunch Paul. I'll try my best." I said. But I could get why Paul would be annoyed. After all, this guy was a real jerk and I want to beat him and make him respect me.

"Well that was nice of you Paul." Dawn said to him.

"Don't you need to go spend ten hour changing into that stupid outfit you wear during all of our battles."

"Huh. Oh yea right. I'll be right back. I just need to quickly head to somewhere to change is there a changing room in here?" Dawn said.

"Why would we have something as stupid as that? Look its pathetic if baby here needs his own little cheering squad." Surge said

"Never mind, anyway you guys better not start without me. I'm going to a Pokémon center to change since these jerks don't have a place to change." Dawn said annoyed as she left.

"So are you babies ready to battle." Surge asked us.

"Give Barry time to prepare first." Mat said before I had a chance to speak.

"Yea we'll be outside the gym. We'll enter it once we're ready." Paul spoke up.

"Take all the time you babies need. The end result will be the same." Surge said confidently.

"Hey wait a minute, I'm ready right now." I said annoyed.

"No you're not!" Mat and Paul said at the same time as the practically started to drag me out of the gym.

"Are you stupid or something" Paul said to me after we left the gym.

"About what" I asked.

"For tartars Mat just lost to this guy yet your still going to run into everything without planning a little better. Look it's great that you looked into this battle but you shouldn't be so over confident. If this guy beat Mat then he must be strong." Paul told me.

"Maybe but still, what plan do you have."

"Take advice from Mat. So care to help." Paul said to Mat.

"Yea no problem, for starters his only dangerous Pokémon is his Raichu. I faced him in three on three and I took out his first two Pokémon rather easily but the Raichu just destroyed me. I even tried using my Marshtomp thinking if I used a ground type then I'd be fine but it still won. I hate to say it but that Pokémon's on a whole other level. Still I'll beat him next time for sure." Mat said confidently.

"Wonderful but right now we need to worry about Barry's battle not your next rematch." Paul said.

"Oh yea right sorry about that, I just got a little off topic." Mat said a bit embarrassed.

"It good, so what Pokémon should I use." I asked Mat.

"Ground type duh, but even with them nothings certain" Mat said.

"Well then things aren't looking good for you Barry. Most of your Pokémon are weak against electric type. It sucks too because a lot of my Pokémon could counter this guy's team. Like my newly caught Graviler, or my Electivire, or Torterra. But as for you, it looks bad. I suppose grass types are good."

"Right don't they have a type advantage against electric type Pokémon?" Mat said.

"Oh yea good point Mat this could work and I could win since I have Bulbasaur." I said.

"Electric type Pokémon's attacks are not very effective against grass types. However Grass type attacks are still only able to deal normal damage. This is common sense. Ow on earth don't you two know that." Paul said annoyed.

"So we forgot. Big deal Mat and I said together.

"It kind of is a big deal. Anyway let's get back to planning for your battle. Heracross could work or maybe you're Hitmonlee."

"True but you know Paul, I intended on using Himonlee and Bulbasaur from the beginning." I said.

"Good then. Still if I was you then I defiantly wouldn't use Empoleon, Skarmory, Xatu, or Staraptor.

"Good point."

"But Rosarade should work fine so I suppose you could use that." Paul said.

"I would but there's just one problem. I kind of left Heracross and Rosarade at Oak's, so I guess I have to use either a flying type or a Water type." I said embarrassed.

"Seriously, I thought you said you were prepared for this!" Paul said annoyed.

"I am. I just made one little mistake and forgot."

"Then you weren't prepared."

"It's not his fault. I forgot all the time too." Mat said.

"Are really this stupid because I think a person has to try to be this idiotic. I swear you two just make each other stupider." Paul said annoyed.

"Cut it out Paul, look I'll be fine. Believe me."

"I'm sure he'll do great. Barry's not a bad trainer so trust him. Still though you got to remember to keep calm and don't lose focus during your battle with Surge. Also be sure to think carefully okay." Mat said.

"You are the worst person to give that kind of advice."

"Shut up. Anyway, so it looks like Barry will be using Bulbasaur, Hitmonlee, and someone else." Mat said.

"Yea, I'll think of a good third Pokémon. Maybe I'll just use Xatu after all it worked before. Also didn't Xatu already defeat Sabrina so I'm sure things will be fine?" I said

"I doubt that but still do whatever you have to." Paul said.

"Hey guys I'm back." Dawn said as she arrived wearing her cheerleading outfit with her Pokémon out.

"Well finally joined us. Well I suppose we might as well get this whole thing over with." Paul said

"All right now that everyone's here, let's all get going inside. Man I can't wait to win." I said.

We all entered the gym once again.

"Okay I'm ready to battle." I said.

"Whatever you say baby, now then let's get this over with. Oh and I see Baby brought along his little baby cheer squad either way let's get this battle started. I'll even allow you to pick how many Pokémon we each use." Surge told me.

"I'm good for three on three." I said.

"What are you doing you idiot. Make it two on two." Paul said annoyed.

"Trust me I'll be fine. Now let's go three on three good for you."

"Works fine now let's begin. Go Magneton." Surge said as he sent out his first Pokémon.

"Not bad. In that case, go Hitmonlee!" I said.

"Magneton use Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge it Hitmonlee and use Jump Kick!" I said.

Magneton shot out its electrical blast but Hitmonlee jumped in the air to dodge it and then went flying into Magneton with great speed. The kick landed quickly and dealt major damage."

"All Right" I said.

"Magneton use Tri Attack!"

Magneton created three different beams. One of Fire, one of Water and one of Ice. It then fired all three beams at Hitmonlee and hit Hitmonlee dead center.

"Darn it. Hitmonlee use Mega Kick." I said as Hitmonlee kicked Magneton dead center."

"Now use Zap Cannon!"

"Let the attack get close to you and knock it back with Mega kick." I said.

Magneton fired a round electric ball at Hitmonlee but Hitmonlee took its leg and kicked right into the electric ball knocking it right back at Magneton. Hitmonlee then ran up to Magneton and kicked it repeatedly.

"Magneton lets end this quickly. Use Lock on!" Surge said as his Magneton locked onto my Hitmonlee. "Good now use Zap Cannon once more! You won't be able to dodge this one or knock back this one back. It'll just keep chasing you." Surge said as Magneton started to charge up for its Zap Cannon attack.

"Only one way to stop it, Hitmonlee use HI Jump Kick on Magneton before Magneton gets a chance to attack." I said.

Hitmonlee jumped hi in the air and went flying toward Magneton. Hitmonlee landed its kick on Magneton with great speed before Magneton even had a chance to fire its Zap Cannon. The Magneton then fell backwards and was finished.

"Ugh. Magneton return, not to bad baby but things is just getting started. Time for me to use my second Pokémon, Let's go Electrode." Surge said as he sent out his second Pokémon.

"So it's an Electrode huh. In this case, Hitmonlee return." I said as I called back my Hitmonlee. "All right time for my second Pokémon. Go Bulbasaur." I said as I sent out my Bulbasaur.

"Sonic Boom Electrode!"

"Counter with Razor Leaf!" I said

The Electrode fired the Sonic wave but Bulbasaur stopped it by firing it's leafs to stop the attack.

"Now use Vine Whip!" I said as Bulbasaur started whipping the Electrode.

"Now us Electro Ball!" Surge said.

Electrode threw a huge ball of electricity and it hit Bulbasaur dead on.

"Bulbasaur use Razor Leaf!" I said as threw some leafs and hit Electrode.

"Not too bad. Electrode use Rollout!"

Electrode started to roll toward Bulbasaur but Bulbasaur was able to jump over Electrode. However Electrode kept on rolling after Bulbasaur and it eventually hit Bulbasaur.

"Darn it, Bulbasaur tries firing Razor Leaf to slow it down." I said as Bulbasaur fired its Razor Leaf at Electrode. The attack looked like it damaged and it was slowing down a bit but the Rollout attack was still rolling and heading straight toward Bulbasaur. Electrode then slammed into Bulbasaur and sent Bulbasaur flying against the wall. Bulbasaur then stood back up but Electrode was com in its way and fast.

_Darn it, Electrode is spinning to fast. At this rate I have no idea how we're even going to stop it from spinning. If I'm not carful then we will be in trouble and get thrown against the wall once again. Wait a minute. Yea that might work._ I thought to myself as I had a grin on.

"Electrode slam into that Bulbasaur once again and let's end this!"

"Bulbasaur wait for Electrode to get close and then use Vine Whip to grab Electrode and throw it against the wall!" I said.

Bulbasaur stood in one place and waited for Electrode to get close and once it did, Bulbasaur tool its vines and grabbed Electrode with them. Bulbasaur then used all of its strength to throw the Electrode across the gym and into the wall. The Electrode then fell to the ground and got back up. However it may have been able to get up but at least I had stopped it from rolling and even better, I knew how to stop it if it even tried to use Rollout again so things were defiantly looking good so far for me.

_Still maybe it might be smart to switch Pokémon right now. After all I don't want to risk Bulbasaur taking any more damage._ I thought. "In that case, Bulbasaur return." I said as I recalled Bulbasaur for a rest.

"Huh? What on earth could baby be planning?" Surge said looking very confused.

"Time for my next guy, Lets go Xatu!" I said as I sent out my Xatu to finish the battle with Electrode.

"It that all, Baby here must be stupid or something. Xatu is weak against electric type Pokémon so I have an advantage. Now go Electrode, use Electro Ball!" Surge said sounding very confident

"Xatu lets win this quick by using Shadow Ball to counter!" I said.

Both Pokémon fired their attacks and the electric ball and the Shadow Ball both collided for a second before they cancelled each other out.

"Now use Future Sight!" I said as Xatu's eyes began to glow Blue.

"Now use Rollout!" Surge said as Electrode started to roll toward Xatu but Xatu flew in the air to dodge it.

"Good job. Now let's fire Shadow Ball at Electrode while it's moving!" I said.

Xatu created the Shadow Ball and fired it straight toward Electrode. The Ball hit electrode and knocked Electrode back. Before Electrode had a chance to fire a new attack, it suddenly got hit by the Future Sight attack that I used earlier.

"All right1 Time to end this, Xatu lets end this by using Aerial Ace!" I said.

Xatu then started to fly toward Electrode in order to end the match.

"If we're going down then were taking you down with us! Electrode use Explosion to take out that Xatu!" Surge said

Xatu got close to end the battle, but the Electrode exploded right when Xatu got close. The field then got file with smoke so we couldn't see what happened for a few minute.

"It's over." Surge said.

Suddenly the smoke cleared and Electrode was clearly unable to battle but Xatu was still standing. Don't get me wrong it looked tired as hell but it was still standing.

"All right great jobs Xatu, I knew you could do it!" I said.

"You got to be kidding me. He one that one two, Well looks like it's time for my final Pokémon. Go Raichu!" Surge said as he sent out his Raichu.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

"All right just one more. Looks like Barry will win this one. He only has to win one more time. Go Barry keep it up!" Dawn cheered.

"I was this same position earlier when I faced Surge. Believe me things are far from over." Mat said.

"Good point. Barry still has a long way to go. After all this Pokémon is the one Surge is most known for so things are far from over." I said.

"Don't worry I'm sure he'll do fine. And we got to keep cheering him on." Dawn said

"Well let's hope Barry can win. Trust me I want this Surge guy to lose since he annoys me. After all I can't stand people who judge others before they even battled them. Those people are the worse." I said

"True. I can't disagree with that one." Dawn said

"Still Raichu is an extremely powerful opponent. So Lt. Surge may be a jerk and also cocky but his Raichu has the power to back it up." Mat said.

"That may be but we'll just have to watch the battle and see how it goes." I said calmly.

"Right so come on Barry keeps fighting hard!" Dawn cheered.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

"Xatu comeback for now you're battled long enough so far." I said as I recalled my Xatu. "All Right Bulbasaur, I'm counting on you once again!" I said as I sent out Bulbasaur again.

"Let's begin. I assure you that Raichu won't be as weak as my last two Pokémon." Surge said.

"We'll see about that. Now go Bulbasaur use Razor Leaf!" I said.

"Dodge it!" Surge said.

Bulbasaur shot out it's leafs but Raichu quickly got out of the way to avoid the attack.

"Now use Vine Whip!" I said.

"Catch the vines and pull Bulbasaur in then use Thunder Punch!" Surge said

Bulbasaur sent out its vines but Raichu caught them and then used them to Pull Bulbasaur in close to Raichu and once Bulbasaur was close enough to Raichu, Raichu took its first and punched Bulbasaur with great force.

"Now Fire Leach Seed Bulbasaur!" I said.

Bulbasaur quickly fired its Leech Seed attack and got Raichu caught in the seeds.

"Good Job Bulbasaur now returns." I said as I called back Bulbasaur. "Now that Raichu is covered in those seeds things should be a lot easier. Come back out Hitmonlee!" I said as I sent out my Hitmonlee.

"Whatever. It won't make a difference who you use in the end thing will be the same. Raichu use Iron Tail!" Surge said.

"Hitmonlee use Mega Kick!" I said.

Raichu hit Hitmonlee with its Iron Tail but then Hitmonlee hit Raichu right back with its Mega Kick."

"Good now jump in the air and use Hi Jump Kick!" I said.

"Wait for it to come to you and dodge at the last second!"

Hitmonlee went flying toward Raichu but Raichu dodged the move so Hitmonlee crashed into the ground and hurt its leg."

"Try using Rolling Kick!" I said as Hetman lee took its leg and kicked Raichu dead in the face.

"Use Iron Tail once more!"

"Counter with Mega Kick!" I said

Raichu swung its tail and Hitmonlee swung its foot and the two moves collided with each other and they ended up canceling the other move out.

"Darn it. Try Rolling Kick!" I said

"Get out of the way!" Surge said.

Even though Hitmonlee was really close to Raichu, Raichu was able to quickly dodge the move and get behind Hitmonlee.

"Good job Raichu, now let's use Thunderbolt!" Surge said.

Raichu then sent out a stream of electricity and shocked Hitmonlee.

"Mega Kick now!" I said

Hitmonlee took its leg and kicked Raichu dead center and knocked Raichu down but Raichu quickly got back up.

"Oh no, Try Mega Kick once more!"

"Let it bring its leg down and then catch it."

Hitmonlee went to kick Raichu with Mega Kick but as it took its leg and swung it down, Raichu was somehow able to catch the attack.

"Good job Raichu now let's end this with Thunderbolt!" Surge said.

Raichu then suddenly shock Hitmonlee with great force. After Raichu finished, Hitmonlee fell it the ground and was finished.

"OH no Hitmonlee! You tried your best now return. Come on out Xatu!" I said as I sent out my Xatu.

"Use Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge it and use Shadow Ball!" I said

Xatu avoided the attack and countered by firing its Shadow Ball at Raichu. The Shadow Ball hit Raichu and knocked it back a few feet.

"Good now use Aerial Ace!"

"Counter with Volt Tackle!" Surge said.

The two Pokémon went straight toward one another and collided but Raichu's attack had clearly won. Xatu got knocked back and then fell to the bound unable to continue.

"Ugh. Xatu return. Good job. One left. Okay then it's all up to you Bulbasaur!" I said as I sent Bulbasaur out for one last fight.

"So now we both only have one Pokémon left huh. Well time to end this. Raichu use Thunder Punch!"

"Stop the attack with Vine Whip!" I said

Raichu went to punch Bulbasaur but Bulbasaur was able to swing its vines in order to hit Raichu and stopped the Thunder Punch from hitting.

"Not bad Baby but what about this. Raichu use Volt Tackle!" Surge said.

Raichu then started running toward Bulbasaur.

"Don't let it hit you. Try to stop is with Razor Leaf!"

Bulbasaur fired it's leafs at Raichu but Raichu was able to run straight through all of those leafs and it looked like it took very little damage. Raichu kept on running and then slammed into Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur then went flying back and then struggled to stand back up. I could tell Bulbasaur had taken a lot of damage. I then looked at Raichu and saw that it had taken quite a bit of recoil damage. But then again if you used two Volt Tackles then that would hurt any Pokémon.

"Let's end this. Raichu use Volt Tackle once again!" Surge said

_Got to dodge this one. This way the Raichu will still take recoil damage but I'll be safe._ I thought. "Bulbasaur use your vine Whip to jump over Raichu so you can avoid the attack!" I said.

Raichu went running toward Bulbasaur while being covered in electricity but at the last second, Bulbasaur took its vines and slammed them into the ground so that it could go in the air and dodge the Volt Tackle. With no target, Raichu's Volt Tackle kept on going and Raichu ended up running into a wall.

"Raichu get up!" Surge yelled as Raichu struggled to its feet. "Good now let's end this with one last Volt Tackle!" Surge said.

Bulbasaur then started doing something strange, it looked as though it was gathering energy in its Bulb. "Hey wait a minute, isn't that move Solorbeam!" I said.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

"Looks like Bulbasaur just learned a new move. Talk about lucky." I said.

"All right keep it up Barry!" Dawn cheered

"Still I wonder if the new move will make a difference." Mat said.

"It wills besides that Raichu's barley standing and most of the damage has been caused by Surge himself. He's been so overconfident that he completely ignored the Leech Seed Barry used earlier. Don't forget that the attack is still sucking away Raichu's health little by little. Also as the Leech Seed drains one Pokémon's health, it also heals the other Pokémon so all though Bulbasaur hurt, it is also getting some health back. Plus there's one more thing on Barry's side."

"And what's that." Mat asked.

"Volt Tackle is a move that causes Recoil Damage to the user. Lt. Surge has been using it carelessly so his Raichu has taken a whole lot of damage. Barry will have to make this final move count and if he can hit with it then he may just win." I said.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

"All right now that we have this new move then there's no way we're losing now. All right then Bulbasaur lets fire Solorbeam!" I said.

Bulbasaur continued to charge up for the attack as the Raichu came charging at Bulbasaur. However before Bulbasaur had a chance to fire its Solarbeam, Raichu slammed into it with its Volt Tackle. The Bulbasaur got sent back a few feet.

"Bulbasaur are you all right!" I said.

"Bulb ba" Bulbasaur said as it stopped back up.

"All right now fire the Solorbeam!" I said.

"Bul Ba Saur!" Bulbasaur yelled as it fired its Solarbeam straight towards Raichu with great power. The Solar beam hit Raichu dead center and knocked Raichu down for the count.

"No way, don't tell me Raichu was defeated. Get back up Raichu!" Lt. Surge said but Raichu wouldn't get up. It was finished.

"All right great job Bulbasaur! We won." I said happily.

LT. Surge then walked up to me. "Well kid I got to say that was a great battle we had. You've an earned this." Surge said as he handed me a badge.

"Yes! Thank you. Good match." I said back as I took the badge.

"Great job Barry." Dawn said happily.

"You sure got lucky at the last minute." Paul said.

"Did not, I won because I planned this out so good and cause I'm an awesome trainer. So cut it out or I'll fine you."

"I will admit to the fact that you had a good plan but that's it. I still think luck was a big part of it."

"Cut it out Paul. Besides we've all gotten lucky at times and that helped us win because of it." Dawn said.

"I suppose so but then again I never said luck was a bad thing." Paul said.

"Good then." I said.

"Still I'm a bit jealous. To think you were able to beat Surge and I lost to him. Man this sucks. But next time I face him I'll defiantly win. So I'm off to train." Mat said as he turned and left.

"Someone's mad that you one." Paul said

"And in a few days, I'll have my third contest. I can't wait." Dawn said

"After My win then there's no way you can lose trust me you'll do fine. And try your best" I said.

"Of course Barry and whoever I face then I'll win. Let's just hope it's not Ursula or Conway again."

"Those two sure are annoying huh." Paul said

"That's putting it lightly. Well even if it's one of them then I'll still win. Now let's go and prepare." Dawn said.

"Right" I said as we all left the gym and went to the Pokémon center. Overall things went good Dawn is going to prepare for her next contest and I won my third badge.

To be continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Nice going Barry, you sure shocked us._

_ Barry: Well what can I say, I'm awesome. I'm sure Surge is annoyed at that shocking defeat._

_ Dawn: I'd say it was an electrifying battle._

_ Paul: Can you two please stop making jokes involving electricity. It really isn't funny_

_ Dawn: We're just fooling around Paul._

_ Barry: Yea, don't you think I did great in my gym battle today._

_ Paul: Whatever. Now all what's left is Dawns contest._

_ Dawn: That's right and I can't wait. Anyway, we hope you liked todays chapter. Please leave a review to let us know what you thought of Barry's gym battle since it has been awhile since his last one. Thanks for reading and see you all next time._


	27. Chapter 27 Kenny Returns

_In this chapter, our little friend Kenny will be returning. Also I just want to say that last chapter I got a review saying that there wasn't much romance in this story and I found it kind of ironic because this chapter was actually made to have a few romance moments. So for those of you guys who like those parts, you should love this chapter. _

_And now for some bad news. There will be no new chapter for this or any of my stories next week. I'm sorry but I have three regents and I really got to study for them otherwise I wont be allowed to write at all. So hopefully there will be a new chapter in two weeks but I'm not positive because I may be busy studying even next week. Again I'm sorry but school first. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and lets begin._

* * *

**Chapter 27 Kenny returns**

(Dawn's POV)

'Looks like it's time to start training." I said as Paul, Barry, and I all went outside of the Pokémon center to train. We had just gotten up a little while earlier and I was ready to train hard for the next contest that was coming up.

We went to an area in the city that was surrounded by many rocks and pillars. I could tell that it was an area that people used to train in a lot of the time.

"Man I can't wait to see you win this one." Barry said.

"Do you have any idea who you'll be facing in the contest?" Paul asked.

"You never know who you're going to face. For all I know, it could be anyone. Besides, I still need to advance to the second round first." I said.

"You'll make it past the first round with no problems, besides you've been training hard so you will win no matter what." Barry said.

"Just because you got lucky and won even though you were overconfident, doesn't mean you should be trying to make everyone overconfident." Paul said annoyed.

"That's right. But I do have a plan to win this thing so no need to worry." I said with a grin.

"Which Pokémon are you planning on using for the contest?" Paul asked.

"I'm using Bagon and Buneary all the way. They should do great during the appeal rounds and with Bagon's power, I'm sure we'll be able to win. Of course I can't help but wonder who we have to face. In our first contest since arriving here we faced Ursula and in my second one I faced Conway. Neither of them were easy opponents but I was still able to win. But I hope I can win this one." I said a little bit nervous.

"Just be sure to do well. And whoever you face, don't underestimate them." Paul said.

"I know that, and believe me I intend to try hard." I said.

"Well I should hope so Dee-Dee." We heard a voice say.

We all turned around and saw none other than Kenny walking up to us.

"Hey Kenny. So what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing but from the sound of it, it seems like you're entering the upcoming Pokémon contest." Kenny said.

"Yea that's right." SO I take it you're going to enter it too." I said.

"I'm afraid not. There's a combination I'm working on and I don't think it's ready yet so I'm waiting a little while before I enter another one. In fact I'm going to be leaving this city in a few days so sadly I won't even be able to stay and watch your contest. I would've liked to stay and watch you but I'm really busy so I have to leave early." Kenny said sounding disappointed.

"Hey it's all right, no need to worry right. And besides, I know you're probably busy with your own journey." I said.

"Yea and besides things will be fine, she has Paul and I cheering her on so I'm sure things will be fine." Barry said trying to help Kenny feel better.

"You and Paul, I doubt he's the supportive type." Kenny said annoyed as he glared at Paul.

"Still making judgments I see. Pity too, you're just as much of a child as you were back then when we battled on the boat." Paul said.

"Look Bastard, what's with your problem? Do you enjoy looking down on me or something?" Kenny said annoyed.

"Not at all, you just start everything by making immature judgments on people."

"Dawn how can you stand traveling with him. I could've sworn you'd have stopped traveling with this jerk by now. I could understand why you're still traveling with Barry, that's alright. But I really can't stand this guy." Kenny said annoyed.

"You'd be surprised Kenny. Paul and Barry have both been fine. Sure there are times when Paul can be a bit of a jerk and Barry can be a bit of an idiot but that's normal. There actually really easy to get along with and I'm glad to be traveling with them." I said.

"I'll admit that I'm a bit of a jerk if that makes you feel better Kenny. But still Dawn is right." Paul said in a bit of a mean tone that I could tell was getting Kenny angry.

"That's right. Dawn is a hundred percent correct on that one." Barry said as he nodded his head proudly.

"Glad you agree Mr. Idiot." Paul said in a joking manner causing me to laugh a bit.

"Hey what do you mean by that, I should fine you?" Barry said

"See what I mean Kenny, things may be hard sometimes but in the end, there's never a dull moment with these two." I said

"Whatever." Kenny said quietly.

"So you're a coordinator right?" Paul asked suddenly.

"Yea why do you ask?" Kenny said.

"No reason, I just find it funny whenever I find boys who are interested in that kind of stuff." Paul said.

_Great now they're going to start fighting again. Man right now I'm starting to think that there may be a need to worry._ I thought to myself sadly.

"Oh so you make fun of it huh. I bet you're just making fun of it because you suck at contest."

"Wouldn't know, never wanted to enter one. I always knew it would be a waste of my time." Paul said

"Sounds more like you couldn't handle it. Unless you intend to prove me wrong." Kenny said

"What, do you want me to enter a contest or something, cause if that's your goal then keep dreaming? I have better things to do then waste my time and my life entering those things." Paul said sounding like he was proud of what he said. I half wondered if he had forgotten that I enter contests for a minute.

"Well if that's how you think then I guess you don't care about Dawns contest right?" Kenny said.

"If I didn't care about them then trust me, I'd ignore them and not come to them. I simple said that it'd be a waste of my time to enter one of them but I do get that they're important to her. Oh and stop trying to make me sound like a dick." Paul said calmly. Kenny was getting really angry; I could see him clenching his fist. I wished both of them would calm down.

"Now listen-"

"Both of you shut up! Your both acting like children!" I yelled cutting off Kenny.

Both of them were being quiet for a minute. "Fine then. Sorry for starting things." Kenny said sounding annoyed.

"You did start things treaty bad, but I suppose I'll apologies too." Paul said.

"Gee thanks. It means the world to me." I said sarcastically to Paul.

"Any time." Paul said sarcastically right back at me.

I then turned to Kenny. "He's a real pain in the ass but you learn to get used to him and his smart ass remarks." I said as Kenny and I laughed a bit and Paul glared annoyed at me.

"She's telling the truth you know." Barry said.

"Barry shut up." Paul said.

"So now that we've all calmed down, I think I should ask you how many ribbons you've earned so far Kenny." I asked wondering how my friend was doing.

Kenny got a huge smile on when I said this. "So far things are going great for me. I've already won four ribbons." He said as he held out his ribbon case and showed me.

"Now way, four already" I said shocked.

"Wow, he's destroying you." Paul said.

"Now you choose to side with him." I said shocked at what Paul just said.

"What, it's the truth. You only have two ribbons and he has doubled that so naturally he's doing better." Pau said

"So you have two ribbons so far then huh. Good job Dawn. But you're going to have to hurry up and start trying harder if you want to beat me. You see I was even able to beat Zoey as well as that guy I battled with on the ship." Kenny said proudly.

"Conway was his name, and I was able to beat him too. And Zoey told me that you beat her, got to say I'm impressed." I said

"Yea my coordinator skills have been growing as well as my Pokémon's power." Kenny said proudly. "In fact how about your friend and I have a battle." He said referring to Paul.

"No" Paul said without hesitation.

"And why not, are you scared."

"Hardly, I'm just not feeling up to it plus I haven't prepared for a battle. Battle someone like Dawn." Paul said

"Hey that sounds like a great idea. Why don't we have a match Kenny? I could use a warm up before my next contest so let's battle." I said hopefully.

"Well I guess that should be fun. Let make it one on one. I just caught a new Pokémon and I want to test it out." Kenny said

"Sounds fine to me, Paul do you mind reefing this battle." I asked Paul

"Fine, I'll ref. don't loss." He said to me as he stood in between us.

"Are you fine with battling here?" Kenny asked.

"Yea I'm fine with it. This rocky area should be a good place to battle." I said

"Good then let's begin and get ready to meet my new Pokémon. GO Vulpix!" Kenny said as he sent out the six tailed fox Pokémon.

"Wow that Pokémon's so cute. What type is it?" I asked

"Why are you making him explain, just look it up in your Pokédex." Paul said.

"Okay fine. Geese sorry for asking a question. In that case I'll look it up." I said annoyed as I grabbed the Pokédex and scanned the Vulpix.

'Vulpix, a Fox Pokémon. Its six tails are extremely beautiful. As it evolves, it grows even more tails. Vulpix uses powerful flame attacks' The Pokédex said

"Sounds like a fire type." I said.

"Yea, I figured I needed a good Fire type and when I saw it, I figured it seemed strong so I caught it." Kenny said.

"As much as I hate to say it, that was a smart call. Vulpix will evolve into Ninetails which are very powerful Pokémon. When he evolves that, he'll have one powerful Pokémon on his team." Paul said.

"Since it's a fire type, I'll use Squirtle now take the Spotlight!" I said as I sent out Squirtle.

"Okay then both of you begins." Paul said

"Vulpix use Ember!" Kenny said as Vulpix hit Squirtle with a barrage of small flames.

"Squirtle fight back by using Water Pulse!" I said.

"Dodge it and use Will-O-Wisp!" Kenny said.

Vulpix avoided the Water Pulse and then fired some blue fire at Squirtle. The fire hit Squirtle and I then saw Squirtle started to catch on a bit of fire.

"Don't tell me, this is burn isn't it?"

"That's right Dawn! Will-O-Wisp is a move that will always burn my opponent. It'll become a pain later on in the battle. Just wait and see." Kenny said

"Then I just have to win before it becomes a pain. Squirtle use Water Gun!" I said as Squirtle fired out a jet of water that slammed into Vulpix.

"Get up Vulpix and use Iron Tail!" Kenny said

Vulpix turned all six of his tails into steel and then slammed them all into Squirtle at once.

"PH knows Squirtle!" I said.

That looked painful. Getting hit by six of the same attack. It would be even worse though is it was a Ninetails, then it would use nine if it's tails instead of six." Paul said.

"Well this makes me feel so much better. Right now I have to worry about the Vulpix, not what it'll become in the future." I said

"Now use Iron Tail once again!" Kenny said.

Vulpix came running towards Squirtle, but suddenly Squirtle turned around and turned its tail into water, and then slammed into Vulpix.

"That was new." I said shocked.

"Looks like you lucked out again and your Squartle learned Aqua Tail." Paul said.

"Really, man that's amazing! Great job Squirtle." I said happily.

"I swear her luck will never cease to amaze m." I heard Paul say. I could tell he didn't want me to hear that part but I still did.

"Okay, now let's win this Squirtle, use Rapid spin!" I said.

Squirtle got into its shell and spun towards Vulpix. Squirtle then slammed into Vulpix and knocked it down.

"Get up and use Flamethrower!" Kenny said

"Counter with Water Pulse!" I said.

Both Pokémon fired their attacks, but Squirtle's was able to win and hit Vulpix. But as soon as the Water Pulse hit Vulpix, Squartle suddenly took some damage most likely from the burn it got hit with earlier.

"Use Iron Tail!"

"Aqua Tail!" I said

Both Pokémon swung their tails and hit each other in the face. The two Pokémon were each breathing heavily and we could both tell that each of our Pokémon was growing tired.

"I wonder who will win." Barry said

"Hard to tell since their both using Pokémon they caught in Kanto. It's not like it's a battle between Dawn's Piplup and Kenny's Empoleon, No instead it's just a match between these two Pokémon that each of the trainers have only had for a few months." Paul said

"Yea but last I checked, didn't Dawn have Squirtle longer then Kenny had his Vulpix?"

"Looks that way so hopefully Dawn will be able to pull out a win."

"All right Squirtle use Rapid Spin!" I said

Squirtle went into its shell and spun directly into Vulpix.

"Not too bad, Vulpix use Ember!" Kenny said as Vulpix shot out a barrage of small flames that hit Squirtle.

"You can take it, now use Aqua Tail!" I said.

Squirtle turned its tail into water and ran to hit Vulpix however, when it swung its tail Vulpix dodged and Squirtle tripped and landed on its shell.

"Oh no, now Squirtle is stuck!" I said.

Squirtle tried to move but since it was on its shell, it had no balance and couldn't get off of its shell.

"Well that was unfortunate but now we got to take this opportunity to win. Let's go Vulpix finish Squirtle off with Iron Tail!" Kenny said.

Vulpix ran toward Squirtle with all five of its tails surrounded by steel. Suddenly, I thought of an idea.

"Squirtle wait for Vulpix to get close to you, and then spin on your shell and use Aqua tail!"I said

The moment Vulpix got close to Squirtle; Squirtle spun with its shell and turned its tail into water. Squirtle then swung its tail into Vulpix and sent the surprised Vulpix flying backwards. Vulpix then landed on the ground and fainted.

"Oh no Vulpix!"Kenny said sounding worried as his Vulpix laid on the ground unconscious.

"And with that, I think it's safe to say that Dawn has won this battle." Paul said.

"Darn it, Vulpix return." Kenny said. He then walked over to Dawn "That was a great battle Dawn; I got to say I'm impressed with how good you've gotten." Kenny said with a grin

"Thanks Kenny but the credit goes to my Pokémon who all work really hard. You were great too."Dawn said

"Maybe but I know I still have some more training to do before I reach my goals. You better try just as hard as me or I'll leave you way behind." Kenny said proudly.

"Okay then I intend to."  
"Don't worry; I'll beat everyone who stands in the way of my goals." Kenny said proudly. "This includes you too Paul." he said as he pointed to Paul

"What goal am I preventing you from achieving?" Paul said

"I'll tell you."Kenny said as he walked up to Paul and whispered something in his ear.

"What, you got to be crazy if you think I'd ever give a shit about something like that." Paul said. For some weird reason his face was bright red. I wondered what Kenny could have said to make him blush so much.

"Yea right, like I'd ever believe that. Listen you may be ahead of me right now and you may have a huge advantage but this goal is one of my most important goals and I will beat you no matter what." Kenny said proudly.

"I already told you I couldn't care less. You can have your silly little goal but I want no part of it." Paul said.

"I don't know why but I have a feeling that one day you'll think differently but when that day comes, I'll still beat you." Kenny declared.

"Fine just keep telling yourself all of this. I really couldn't care less either way but if you want to convince yourself that I'm some kind of a threat in your little fantasy then go ahead." Paul said

"Hey what exactly did you tell Paul Kenny?" I asked interested to know what Kenny had said to make Paul get so embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it." Kenny and Paul said together.

"Can you guys tell me?" Barry asked.

"I suppose we could let you in on our little rivalry but you have to swear not to tell Dawn."Kenny said

"No, don't tell him no matter what." Paul said

"I swear I won't tell Dawn anything." Barry said as Kenny walked over to him and whispered something in Barry's ear.

Barry then started laughing. "Man that's one battle that would be interesting. I wonder who would win."

"It's not a battle." Paul said annoyed.

"Okay then. Either way, Paul you better not loss or I'm going to fine you big time. And besides if you win, I bet things would be happy for you." Barry said.

"Trust me; life would become a living hell if that ever happened."

"Can someone please tell me what on earth you guys are talking about? You guys are driving me nuts and I really want to know." I said.

"Trust me its none of your concern Dee Dee. Right now the only thing you should be thinking about is your upcoming contest." Kenny said with a small grin.

"I hate it when you people keep things from me. Why can't you just tell me? And stop trying to change the subject." I said angrily

"Like we said, it's none of your concern. Just stop worrying. It doesn't even involve Contest or Pokémon Battles so it won't affect you." Paul said

"And in the same way it completely affects you." Barry said laughing a bit.

"Barry shut up."Paul said

"Anyway Dawn, I was just wondering if you knew about the Wallace cup this year." Kenny said

"Huh what do you mean Wallace cup? Do you know anything about it? If so could you tell me?" I asked getting excited.

"Of course, from what I've heard so far, it will be held in the Johto region in a few months so you better prepare. If I don't have my final ribbon by then then I will enter it. But even if I do have one, then I intend to come and watch. You always see so many interesting coordinators in it." Kenny said

"I can agree with that. Maybe I'll see May again in the Wallace cup like last year. And I think May said she had some rivals so maybe I'll get to meet them." Dawn said hopefully.

"Do you have any idea what this Wallace cup is?" Paul asked Barry.

"None, Sounds like some kind of huge contest though." Barry said.

"That's right, it's really fun and many trainers enter it to test out their skills. Even people who aren't coordinators enter it because it's just a fun completion to be a part of. If I remember correctly, last year Ash entered it with Buizel right Dawn."Kenny said

"That's right. He did pretty well too." I said

I saw Paul think back for a minute probably recoiling the event. "Oh yea I think I remember seeing Ash on TV during that contest. All I was thinking was 'What is he doing'I remember thinking that he was so weird for entering that thing." Paul said

"You also made fun of him and called him a coordinator. Afterwards you got really mad at him because he yelled at you for being a jerk during the tag battle contest yet you said he did the same with his Buizel." I said

"That's because what he did was the same." Paul said

"I won't deny that. They were similar situations but there were still differences." I said

"Whatever"

"So anyone can enter this Wallace cup thing." Barry asked.

"Yea" Kenny said

"Sweet then I thinks me and Paul should give it a try, it'll be fun."

"I think that's a great idea." I said happily.

"I think that idea will never happen. You can do as you please but I have no intentions of entering this damn contest." Paul said

"What are they too complicated for you." Kenny said

"You shut up."

"Well I think I've annoyed your friend long enough for one day. I should be going now. Once again good luck on your next contest Dawn, I'm sure you'll do fine. Well I better get going." Kenny said as he turned to leave

"By Kenny I hope we see each other again soon and no need to worry I'll try my best in the contest. And good luck on your journey." I said as I waved to Kenny as he walked away. After a minute, I realized something. "Hey wait a minute, he only brought up the Wallace cup to make me forget about the secret he told you and Barry."

"Yea that's right. Don't tell me you just realized that now. Seems to me like Kenny played you like a violin so I guess his plan worked" Paul said

"Oh no it didn't. You two better tell me or else." I said angrily at Paul and Barry

Paul and Barry glanced at each other. "Well truth be told, it really wasn't anything that special. There's just a girl that Kenny has a crush on and he thinks Paul likes her too." Barry said

"Oh really, that's great for Kenny. I hope it goes well for him. And what about you Paul do you like this girl and who is she?" I asked

"That part I'm not telling you and I don't like her." Paul said blushing a bit.

"Seems to me that you're not quite sure yet Paul, I wonder if you do like her or not." Barry teased.

"Shut up Barry! I don't like anyone and that's final." Paul said annoyed as he got up and headed back to the Pokémon center.

"Wait up man."Barry said laughing a bit.

"I'm going back to the center so I can go to bed." Paul said

"Okay then I'll come too. See you later Dawn, We're heading back." Barry said as I watched the two of them walk away.

"Plup?" My Piplup said as it came out of its Pokéball and stared at me confused.

"Oh hey Piplup, so I guess Paul may like someone huh. I guess that's... good don't you think." I said to Piplup as I put a smile on my face.

"Plup" Piplup said as it looked at me. It seemed to think I was upset about something.

"Nothing's wrong Piplup. I'm just a little tired; I think we should head back to the center too." I said as I picked up Piplup and started to walk back to the Pokémon center.

_Still, I have no idea why, but for some really weird reason, I'm feeling uneasy and a little sad right now. I wonder why. Oh well, I'm sure it's nothing. I'm probably just a little shocked to find out that Paul may like someone. Yea I'm sure that's it. But still... I wonder who he and Kenny were talking about._ I thought to myself as I walked to the Pokémon center.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

It was the middle of the night and I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk outside the Pokémon center.

"Paul" I heard a voice say from the darkness. I turned and saw Kenny walking up towards me.

"And here I thought you said you were leaving this town. Why are you still here?" I asked him

"I thought about it and I decided that I'll stay and watch her contest after all but I don't want her to know about it." Kenny said

"Why on earth do you want to do that?"

"Because I want to see how strong she's become, the last time we had a contest battle, I won but then she ended up making it to the finals of the Grand Festival, while I couldn't even make it past the first round." Kenny said sounding sad.

"Wow, that's just plain depressing. How pathetic" I said

"You never think before you talk do you? You literally seem to just say what's on your mind."

"No that's Barry, but I do speak the truth." I said

"I have to catch up to her. She's always so far above me and I can't stand it." Kenny said obviously talking about Dawn.

"That shouldn't be too hard, Dawn can get a little too confident and she can be clumsy at times. Plus she does some really stupid things."

"Yea I know. But if you ask me, those are also some really good points about her. She's really amazing." Kenny said

"Yea she is." I said. I was actually shocked that I said this, because the words seemed to have just come without my control.

"Oh so you do like her too. I knew it." Kenny said sounding a little disappointed.

"I do not; I was just stating the truth. Besides, I have more important things to worry about then stuff like that."

"I remember that I never wanted to admit that I liked her. I denied it even from myself. I guess we're the same in a way." Kenny said

"We are not, I never liked Dawn nor will I ever like her. She's a traveling companion and a friend but nothing more."

Kenny laughed. "Whatever you say, Still, I intend to win her over." Kenny said

"Be my guest but you have to tell her yourself because I'm not going to let her know about your stupid crush." I said

"That's fine and I'll keep your feelings for her a secret as well. So I guess good luck to you because I have no intention of losing this battle." Kenny said with a grin

"Geese you're annoying. I really can't stand you."

"And I can't stand your personality. Your always have some kind of an attitude but as much as I hate to say, I can see you're not all bad. So since we hate each other, lets become friends." Kenny said

"We disagree and act completely different and you want to be friends." I said

"Sure why not, besides we both have the same goal right."

"We don't have the same goal but fine. Since it seems you think we'd get along."

"Good to know. Well I'll be going and remember, Dawn isn't supposed to know that I'll be watching so you got to keep it a secret from Dawn." Kenny said

"I have no intention of telling her anything. Well I'm going inside." I said as I walked back into the Pokémon center as Kenny walked the other way.

When I walked in, I saw Dawn waiting inside there.

"Were did you go, I woke up and you were missing." Dawn said

"I went out for a walk because I couldn't sleep that's all." I said

"Oh okay. Did something happen, your face is a little red." Dawn asked

"I'm fine." I replied quickly.

"Well whatever you say. Truth be told I can't sleep either, I'm a little nervous for the contest." Dawn admitted

"I could tell because you always sleep in. It's usually hard to wake you up. Although you're not as bad as Barry, he sleeps like a Slaking." I said

Dawn laughed at that. "Yea I guess so." Dawn said

"Either way, I think we should head back to bed. After all, it's getting late." I said as I looked up at the clock and it said that it was almost 2 in the morning.

"Good idea. It was cool that we got to see Kenny today but I wonder who he likes." Dawn said confused

"Who knows? So what do you think about that though?"

"I'm happy for him; he should do something like that. I just hope whatever girl he likes can handle him." Dawn laughed.

"Yea I suppose so. Does it bother you at all?" I found myself asking out of curiosity.

"Bother me, as if. What do you think I'm jealous, look I do really like Kenny but only as a friend. Besides that'd be crazy" Dawn said

The answer she gave was genuine to. And although I hate to admit it and part of me will never tell anyone, I was a little relived that she said that.

To be continued

* * *

_Paul: Well this chapter was a pain_

_Dawn: Hey it was cool seeing Kenny again. _

_Barry: And what's more, Paul may have something to think about now._

_Dawn: What do you mean?_

_Paul: He means that he's an idiot._

_Dawn: Come on Paul I want to know._

_Paul: It's not important, anyway thanks for reading todays chapter. Like we said there wont be a chapter next week and we are not even positive about the following week. Sorry about this but the writer has to prepare for regents exams so he's kind of busy. Anyway, Please leave a review to let us know what you think thanks for reading all this time._

_Dawn: Hey you just stole my line._

_Paul: Whatever, any way, see you next time when Dawn enters her third contest. _


	28. Chapter 28 Third Contest First Round

_Okay so here the next chapter, sorry for the wait but I finally finished all of my exams and for the most part, I did well. So thanks for being patient._

_Now I have some bad news, I'm going away on vacation and I won't be able to post for a few weeks. I'm sorry especially since I just took a break from writing to study but I can't help it. Anyway, sorry about that but I really have been looking forward to this vacation and it'll be a few weeks but as soon as it's over, I'll try to update weekly and what's more after I get back, I'll finally be able to post my fanfic that's a sequel to Coliseum and XD._

_Thanks for understanding, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. With that said lets begin it and have Dawn enter her third contest will she win or face defeat._

* * *

**Chapter 28 Third Contest First Round **

(Dawns POV)

Today was the day for my third Contest and to be honest, I was feeling a little nervous.

"Okay I guess I'm all ready. I wonder what opponents I'll be facing this time." I said to myself in the mirror within the dressing room. I've noticed that in every Kanto Contest I've been in so far, there's been a recurring theme of me meeting one of my. What are the odds of it happening this time too? "Oh well. It does not matter who it is. I'll just have to try my best like I usually do, right Piplup?" I asked my starter.

"Pip Piplup!" Piplup agreed with me, wearing its cheer outfit to support me since it won't be in the Contest today.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this." I said to myself as I finished getting ready and left the bathroom.

"Out so soon? I think that's a new record." Paul said sarcastically.

"Very funny Paul. So, how do I look?" I asked twirling around in my pink dress. This time, I had my hair tied in pigtails to go for a different look.

"Absolutely beautiful." Paul said, again sarcastic, though unbeknownst to me he had a faint blush on his face.

"Why do I even ask?" I said, more to myself than to him.

"Good question but you know his isn't the first time you asked so you should realize by now I'd give you the same response." Paul said. "Ah, forget about what Paul thinks Dawn, you look great!" Barry said energetically. "Now let's hurry so you can win your third Ribbon."

"Thanks Barry. I'll try my best." I said, and then added under my breath while glancing at Paul. "At least someone around here knows how to compliment me."

"Well I guess we should get going." Paul told me.

"But first I gotta go change!" I said, running back into the bathroom. Paul and Barry both groaned.

"What was the point of you changing if you were going to change back?" Paul asked, annoyed.

"I was trying it on to make sure it looks good." I said as I closed the door.

* * *

We all left the Pokémon Center we were staying at and headed to the Contest Hall to register. When we arrived, I registered for the Contest at the desk and then walked up to Paul and Barry, who held Piplup in his arms for me.

"So how much time until the Contest starts?" Barry asked.

"About three hours so we have time to go get something to eat." I said

"I suppose that would be a good idea." Paul said, shrugging.

"Mind if we tag along?" We heard a voice from behind us say.

We all turned around and saw Tori and Kai standing behind us. Tori had her Zorua out on her shoulder and Kai had his Luxray standing next to him. Both of the Pokémon looked happy to see us.

"Tori!" I said happily.

"Hey Dawn, how's it going?"

"Things are going great. What about you?"

"Never better." Tori said

"So how have things been for you Paul?" Kai asked.

"Caught a new Pokemon but other than that same. Although I did have another run in with those Team Alpha guys." Paul said.

"Them again huh. Bet they were up to no good again." Kai said.

"Hey why don't we all talk some more during lunch?" I suggested.

"Sound good!" Everyone said.

* * *

We all headed to a restaurant and got some rice balls for all of us to share, while Piplup, Zorua and Luxary went outside to play.

"So what's the story with Team Alpha this time?" Kai asked interested.

Paul explained everything about their plans and what their goals were exactly.

"That doesn't sound good. I can't believe they would go that far."

"They sure are rotten right?" Tori said.

"It's pathetic if you ask me. They're too lazy to train a Pokémon themselves so they use some machine to power them up. How low can you get?" Paul said.

"Gotta agree with you there. A true Pokémon Trainer trains his Pokémon himself or herself. They don't use some machine. Man those guys are starting to become a real pain. Now they're bothering me too." Kai said annoyed.

"And they don't even care about their own Pokémon. They only see them as tools. How can a person do that?" I said furiously.

"Makes me sick in my stomach just thinking about it." Tori said.

"And they battle for all the wrong reasons." Barry added.

"So how have things been for the two of you?" I asked changing the and Tori smiled for a minute. "So who wants to go first?" Kai asked Tori.

"I guess you can show them." Tori said.

Kai took out his Frontier case and showed us that he now had two new symbols in there. "So you beat Greta and Noland. Nice going." Paul said surprising me that he actually gave a compliment to him.

"How does it feel knowing your rival is ahead of you"? I teased Paul.

"That's none of your business. Besides he's only ahead because I visited this city with you two." Paul said annoyed, then muttered his breath. "But I guess this is how Ash felt whenever I got ahead of him."

Kai and Tori laughed at this. "So Paul which Frontier Brain are you gonna challenge next?" Kai asked.

"Good question. I'll have to think about that one." Paul said in thought. "Let's see there are only four left so it's a little hard."

"Well I'm gonna challenge Lucy. You should go there next too. After all it's next closest one." Kai said.

"Sounds good. So I guess its Lucy then." Paul said.

"Which leader is she?" I asked.

"Lucy's the head of the Battle Pike. She gives the Luck Symbol."

"Good then. So what did Tori want to show us?" Paul asked.

"Well here check this out." Tori said opening a case and revealing two Ribbons in it.

"No way! You already got two Ribbons? And in such a fast time too." I said shocked.

"How does it feel knowing your rival made it just as far as you did in half the time?" Paul mocked, repeating what I said earlier.

"Knock it off!" I said to him, before I talked to Tori. "That's amazing Tori. I'm really impressed. You must be a natural to win your first two Contests."

"I doubt that. If you ask me, I just got lucky. The Contest's kinda just came out of no where so I thought I'd give both of them a shot and I happened to win them both. Now I'm entering the one here as my third Contest." Tori said shyly.

"You're entering this one too?" I asked.

"So the two of you will get to see which one's stronger. I can't wait to see this." Barry said excited.

"Good luck to both of you." Kai said.

"So Tori, I can expect to see your Unova team in action during the Contest, right?"

"Of course, and it'll be Zorua's first Contest too. It's been dying to enter one for quite some time now. Right Zorua?"

"Arf!" Zorua said happily from its spot on the floor.

"Awesome. It should be fun battling against you guys, but don't expect me to pull any punches when we do battle." I said confidently.

"You know you have to make it past the first round before anything happens." Paul told me.

"I know that Paul but now I'm more determined then ever. I'll definitely make it past that first round and then I'll get to face Tori."

"If she can make it past the first round."Paul said

"She'll do fine." I said to Paul

"I hope so. How are you feeling Tori?" Kai asked her.

"A little nervous but I'm more excited than nervous. Last time you got to face Paul while I had to wait on the sidelines and watch. This time it's your turn to watch." Tori said.

"Right, well best of luck. You too Dawn but I hope you don't mind if I cheer for Tori." Kai joked.

"No need to worry. I have two friends who will cheer for me right here." I said.

"Make sure you win Tori." Paul said, surprising us.

"You really are no help at all!" I pouted.

"So you two are getting ready for a Contest huh." We heard a voice say as we turned and saw some girl walk up to us.

"Ashley!" Paul and Kai said together.

"Hello Paul. And Kai good to see you again." The girl named Ashley said.

"Likewise!" Kai said happily. "So are you here to enter this Contest too?"

"That's the plan. So far I've won three Ribbons."

"That's even more then Dawn." Paul commented.

"How do you know her exactly?" I asked wearily.

"When you two were fishing and I wandered off. I told you and Barry this already, remember?" Paul said.

"Oh right. I guess you did." I said.

"Hey Ashley who are you talking to?" We heard a girl who looked a bit younger then Ashley ask. "Huh? Hey isn't that Kai?"

"I know you; Your Ashley's younger sister aren't you? Good to see you again." Kai said.

"Same here." The girl replied before noticing Paul. Her eyes instantly shined upon seeing him. "Oh Paul, you're here two! Wow it's so cool to see you again!" The girl said happily.

"Hello Sara." Paul said politely. Okay really, what has gotten into him today?

"I can't believe we're all here together! My sister is entering the Contest too." Sara said, before addressing to Paul. "So Paul, what brings you here?" She asked.

"Her." Paul said pointing to me. "She has a Contest to enter."

"So you came here so she could enter her Contest?' Sara inquired.

"That's about right."

"You see me, Paul, and Barry are traveling together. We've been doing so for a while now." I told the girl named Sara.

"Oh really?" Sara said. "Hmm and she's pretty two."

"I like her. She's really polite." I whispered into Paul's ear.

"I bet you'd like anyone who'd call you pretty." He whispered back.

"I know! A pretty girl like you must be Paul's girlfriend!" Sara exclaimed.

"No way! Not in a million years!" Paul yelled looking a bit embarrassed (Which he rarely looked. He was even blushing a bit.)

"Yeah! There's no way I'd ever date someone like Paul!" I yelled back just as embarrassed.

"You two are bright red!" Barry said laughing.

"Shut up Barry!" We both shouted.

"Oh you're not dating? Sorry I thought you were. But you'd be lucky to be going out with someone like Paul. He saved me once before. He's awesome!" Sara said.

"Is that so? I must say I can't see Paul saving anyone. Still it's cool that you got yourself a fan." I said, after I calmed down a bit from what Sara said.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" Paul asked rhetorically. Before Barry or I could say anything, he quickly beat us to the punch. "Don't answer that!"

"Still the fact that she thought you two were dating is very funny. Your reactions were even the same!" Kai said, trying to hold back a laugh and failing.

"Yeah. You blushed so much Dawn!" Tori commented. "I think I once heard that the more people bicker with each other, the more they like each other." Paul and I said nothing to that, as we just turned our heads away, but our faces now wore a deeper shade of red.

"So who are you?" Sara asked Tori.

"Yea good question. I don't think I've met you before." Ashley commented.

"My name's Tori. I'm from the Unova Region and I guess you could call me a Coordinator now. I've managed to win two Ribbons. I've also been traveling with Kai during his journey to the battle Frontier."

"Oh so your traveling together. Then you must be Kai's girlfriend right?" Sara asked.

"She is not!" Kai yelled sounding embarrassed.

"Yeah! We're just friends who are traveling together!" Tori said sounding just as embarrassed.

"Now who's blushing?" I remarked, smiling at their situation. Ah, sweet revenge.

"Cut it out Dawn! It's embarrassing!" Tori pouted.

"Now you know how I feel." I said.

Ashley then laughed hysterically at this. "Man this is just too funny! It's a pity that I'll have to beat both of you in the Contest." Ashley said to us.

"No way that's gonna happen." Tori said defiantly.

"Yeah, because I'm winning this contest." I said.

"Well I hope you're a good challenge. So let the best coordinator win. But it will be me." Ashley said confidently.

"We'll see about that."

"You got some major competition this time around." Paul said.

"Makes things more interesting." I replied with a smirk.

"I can't wait." Dawn said

"So Kai who are you gonna cheer for Ashley or Tori?" Sara asked.

"Kai's cheering for me, right?" Tori asked.

"Well of course he'll cheer for me, his best friend who's been traveling with him a lot longer than you have." Ashley told her.

"But he's been helping me train for the last two Contests, so I'm confident Kai will wanna evaluate my battles." Tori said with a little edge in her voice, standing up from the table.

"Oh please, no amount of training a beginner like you does will make a difference with veterans like me and Dawn, and I'm sure Kai wants to root for a winner." Ashley said in a taunting manner, glaring right at Tori. Both girls then decided to face Kai.

"So which one of us will you cheer for Kai?!" They both said at the same time, causing me, Barry, Kai, and Sara, as well as our Pokémons to flinch.

"Well…since you're both my friends, who's to say I can't cheer on both of you?" Kai answered a little nervously.

Ashley moved back and looked at all of us. "I'll accept that answer for now." She then focused her gaze on Tori. "But you and I will settle this later. Let's go Sara." She said, walking away.

"Okay. Bye Kai, bye Paul. And good luck in the Contest Dawn and Tori." Sara said, waving before she ran off to catch up with her sister.

We all sat in silence for a minute before Paul spoke up. "Do we even want to know what that was about?" He asked, looking between Kai and Tori with an arched eyebrow.

"I don't think I even understand what just happened…" Kai spoke, lamenting about the new rivalry formed by his two female friends.

"Well what do you say we all head back?" Tori suggested, returning to her normal self.

"Good idea!" Everyone said.

* * *

We finished eating and left the restaurant to head back to the Contest Hall.

"So the two of us will be heading down to prepare while you guys should go up and find seats." I said.

"We know. This is the third Contest you've been in since we got to Kanto." Paul remarked.

"Very funny." I said, rolling my eyes as Tori and I walked down to get ready. When we all got there, I changed into my pink dress and made sure to put my hair in pigtails. I checked once more to make sure everything looked all right.

"Okay everything looks good." I said.

"So I guess you're ready too." I heard Tori say and I saw her dressed in her Contest dress. It was a purple dress and had her long silver hair curled up. "I'm a little nervous." Tori said.

"I know how you feel. I was the same when I started out, but you shouldn't be. Trust me, you look great."

"Really? Kai said so too. But I don't think it's that good. Besides you look better."

"No way." I said. "Believe me, Paul never compliments me on how I look so the fact that Kai does has to be big."

"Maybe Paul's just embarrassed to say something nice." Tori said.

I blushed a bit. "Well maybe." I said.

"So you two are all ready huh?" We heard Ashley say. She was dressed in a red dress and had her hair kept down.

"Yeah we are!" We both said.

"Good, 'cause it looks like they're about to start announcing." Ashley said as we all listened to hear the announcement and heardLillian announced the start of the Contest, drawing everyone's attention to the TV screen that was mounted on the wall.

"Now allow me to introduce our spectacular judges. First, we have Mr. Contesta!" Lillian said, motioning to the panel of judges.

"It's great to be here." The older gentleman replied.

"Next up, is Mr. Sukizo!" She continued.

"Let's all hope that this Contest is remarkable." He said with his usual smile.

"And last we have our very own Nurse Joy!" Lillian finished.

"Hello there." She replied, waving to the audience.

"And now let's see the sixteen Coordinators that will be participating today!" Lillian shouted, motioning to the large monitor on the stadium wall that displayed the faces of the Coordinators. "One of these lucky Coordinators will be competing for the coveted Vermillion Ribbon. Are you ready? Then let's get fizzy!" She shouted. The crowd roared as the faces were put into the order for the Appeal round.

I then watched and saw the rider. I would be eight, Ashley would be tenth and Tori would be first. I looked over at Tori and saw she looked really nervous. _Poor Tori. I know she's been in contests before but this is the first one were she has to face some tough rivals and on top of that she's first. That's way to stressful!_ I thought to myself

"Hey are you all right Tori?" I asked a little worried.

"Oh I'm fine. Well I better get out there." Tori said as she ran out. One thing was for sure, she didn't sound fine.

"With that kind of confidence, she won't last long. She needs to calm down and focus." Ashley commented.

Tori then ran out there and came to the stage. I watched throughout the TV to see her performance. "Okay, Leavanny, Zorua, lets-" But before Tori could finish, she slipped and fell on her face.

_Oh no, I hope she can recover!_ I thought.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

"Well this doesn't look good." I said.

"I know. I was afraid this would happen. She did the same thing during her first Contest." Kai said, watching the scene next to Barry, Sara, and I, while Piplup was standing on Luxray's back. "She is really nervous about having to face so many rivals. I just hope she can refocus."

"She better get her act together soon! My big sister's the only one allowed to beat her." Sara said.

"Well let's hope for the best."

"She won't lose that many points for tripping will she?" Barry asked nervously.

"Of course not. She hasn't even sent out her Pokémon yet so the judging hasn't even started. The main problem is the fact that she's so afraid and embarrassed now." I said.

"Actually Paul that's not how it works. Remember, it's not just the Pokémon the judges are keeping an eye out for, but also to how their Trainer reacts during their performance." Kai pointed out.

"Well I'm hoping she makes it through the Appeal round so she and Dawn can face off against each other in the finals." I said.

"Why is that?" Kai asked.

"Can't really explain it. I just think it would be a good match and an interesting one to watch."

"I agree on that." Kai said.

"Yeah but you two remember the overall winner will be Ashley." Sara said.

"Whatever you say Sara." Kai said jokingly, before he adopted a serious look. "But Ashley is still a tough competitor. Dawn and Tori will have their work cut out for them if they have to face her during the Battle rounds."

* * *

(Tori's POV)

_Oh no! Don't tell me I've messed up already. _I thought to myself, distraught._ No, I must remain calm. Kai and the others are watching me right now. I can't mess this up. I have to face Dawn in this thing. I must. And nothing will get in my way. Neither my stage fright nor Ashley._ I thought to myself

"Sorry about that." I said as I stood up and readjusted myself. "Now I'm really ready to begin. Stand by my side Leavanny and Zorua!" I said as I sent out my two Pokémon.

"Arf!" Zorua said.

"Lea! Leavanny!" Leavanny said.

Zorua quickly transformed into Leavanny as it danced around a bit before it turned back into itself. The crowd seemed to love it. It was a good thing that in Kanto, no one knew what Zorua could do.

"Good now Leavanny use Sing." I said as Leavanny played its music over its leaves while singing a light tune. It managed to put Zorua to sleep.

"What on earth could Tori be planning with putting her own Pokémon to sleep?" Lillian wondered.

I then took a Chesto Berry out and threw it into the sky. Zorua instantly woke up and jumped in the air to eat it.

"Good now use Shadow Ball and Leavanny cut right through it with X-Scissor!" I said.

Zorua fired its Shadow Ball right in the air and Leavanny jumped right in front, cutting straight through it and spraying the stadium with sparkling particles.

"Perfect. Now lets end this. Zorua land on the ground and use Night Daze and Leavanny land on Zorua!" I said.

The moment Zorua hit the ground, it shot out a black aura around itself and Leavanny landed on top of it.

"Amazing. That was a spectacular array of combinations by Tori. Now let's hear what our judges think." Lillian said.

"It was just one surprise after another. Quite a pleasant show." Mr. Contesta said.

"Remarkable." Mr. Sukizo said.

"I was amazed at how compatible her Pokémon were in the coordination of their moves." Nurse Joy said.

"And there you have it. A wonderful combination with some exclusive Pokémon you won't find anywhere nearby was a huge surprise for most of us, so let's give a round of applause for Tori!" Lillian said, clapping along with the rest of the audience and the judges.

"Thank you very much." I said as my Pokémon and I took a small bow. I called them both back and left the stage.

* * *

(Dawns POV)

I saw Tori walk back from the stage looking a bit embarrassed.

"So how do you think I did?" Tori asked.

"Great. You were amazing!"

"I don't know. I think I messed up a bit." She said

"No need to worry. You'll make it to the next round no matter what." I said

"I hope so."

"Hey, try to have a little more confidence in yourself. You should be proud for that performance." I encouraged her.

"You're right." Tori said brightly. "Wow, I can't wait for the next round!"

"And I can't wait for my turn. We both got to make it to the finals no matter what." I said.

We waited and watched the other contestants perform until they called me up.

"Well my turn. Wish me luck." I said.

"Good luck, you'll do great." Tori said.

"You better make it." Ashley told me from her side of the room.

"I intend to." I said as I walked out onto the stage. "Bagon and Buneary Spot Light!" I said as I sent out my two Pokémon.

"Gon!" Bagon said.

"Bun! Buneary!" Buneary said.

"Bagon use Draco Meteor up in the air and Buneary use Ice Beam to freeze the meteors!" I ordered.

Bagon fired its Draco Meteor in the air and when the attack broke up into the smaller meteors, Buneary shot its Ice Beam in the air to freeze all of them solid. Buneary then connected all of the frozen meteors to the ceiling by creating a wire of ice to hold them all in the air.

"Good job! Now Bagon use Flamethrower to melt the ice and Buneary use Thunderbolt when the meteors starts to fall to the ground!" I said.

Bagon let out its Flamethrower and melted all of the ice. The frozen meteors then started to fall down from the ceiling and when they did, Buneary shot out its Thunderbolt, which caused all the meteors to explode and create some fireworks.

"Yes it worked!" I said happily as my two Pokémon hopped down.

"What an impressive display of fireworks by freezing Draco Meteor, then using Flamethrower and Thunderbolt on them." Mr. Contesta said.

"Yes, remarkable." Mr. Sukizo said.

"I believe that combination shows just how much hard work Dawn and her Pokémon have put into it." Nurse Joy said.

After the judges finished their compliments, Lillian had the crowd clap for me before I called back my Pokémon and left the stage.

"What did you think of that?" I asked Tori when I got backstage.

"You were amazing! You'll make it for sure." Tori said.

"Not bad. You might actually be some worthy competition after all." Ashley said.

"Hey Ashley, you were a Coordinator in Hoenn right?" I asked

"Yeah, that's right."

"So did you ever make it to the Grand Festival?" I asked.

"I did. I made it up to the quarter-finals while battling some guy named Robert. He used a Milotic and he ended up winning the whole thing. Plus I could tell he had plenty of experience." Ashley said.

"No way, you made it that far?" Tori said shocked.

"Yep. That just goes to show you how far apart we are in experience." She said without batting an eyelash. "What about you Dawn."

"I made it all the way to the finals, where I lost to a good friend and rival in one of the most nerve-racking battles of my life." I told them.

"I can't believe you both got so far. I feel a little outclassed." Tori said, her confidence slowly fading away.

"Don't worry about it Tori. My friend Zoey had a little more experience than I did when I first started out, yet I could battle her as an equal by the time the final round came up." I said to Tori. "Remember, I still don't know what tricks you might have under your sleeve, so anything can happen."

Tori nodded as Ashley spoke up.

"Looks like I'll be going up soon." Ashley said.

We waited for a few more people to go before Ashley stepped up on stage.

"Chimecho, Altaria, let's put on a show!" Ashley said as she sent out her two Pokémon.

"Altaria!" Altaria said.

"Chime Chime Chime!" Chimecho repeated happily.

"Alright Altaria use Safeguard!" Ashley said as her Altaria surrounded itself with a green light. "Now Chimecho use Psywave and Altaria get inside of it."

Chimecho fired its wave at Altaria and Altaria got inside of it. It definitely looked good but in doing that combo, Ashley had damaged her own Pokémon.

"That combination is marvelous, but is it worth the price of Ashley having her own Pokémon take damage?" Lillian asked.

"Good. Now Chimecho use Heal Pulse!" She said as Chimecho healed Altaria. "And now for the finisher. Both of you use Round!" Ashley said as both Pokémon began to sing a beautiful tune.

Ashley then had her Pokémon stop as she waited to hear what the judges have to say.

"That was a risky move having Altaria take that Psywave, but a clever idea on using Chimecho's Heal Pulse to restore its strength." Mr. Contesta said.

"That was simply remarkable." Mr. Sukizo said.

"It's nice to see how much thought Ashley put into her Pokémon's safety for this performance." Nurse Joy said.

Ashley then left the stage.

"So what did you think?" Ashley asked me.

"I thought you did great out there." I said. Tori on the other hand said nothing but shrugged her shoulders.

"Hope you were paying attention to how a professional Coordinator performs. It's important to remember some of these things all though what I did was simple, it still looked good. So remember that you don't always need to make a performance big and flashy to make it good." Ashley said walking past her. "Now all that's left to do is wait."

We watched as the rest of people perform and then waited for Lillian to announce the results.

"Okay everyone has gone and now we're going to show you the eight people who made it to the next round!" Lillian said as she showed us the scoreboard.

"Come on." We all said. We then looked and saw that all three of us had made it to the next round. "Yes!" We said together.

"And now I'll show the match ups for the next round." Lillian said.

On the scoreboard showed eight cards, each with a picture of one of the eight finalists, which of course included Tori, Ashley, and I. After the cards were randomly shuffled, it showed the matchups for the Battle round of the Contest. When it stopped, I saw that I would be battling in the first round, while Tori would go after me, and Ashley was last.

"What do you know? Look's like we all get a reprieve from having to battle each other this round." Ashley said upon inspecting the screen.

"Then that means we have to survive another round before that happens." Tori said.

"No need to worry. I'm positive that all three of us will make it for sure."

"I know at least I'll make it, but you two better win, after all it'll be less fun if I don't defeat a potential rival." Ashley stated with a fierce look.

"I'm not gonna lose either!" Tori interjected, determination written all over her face. "You two will be in for quite a shock with what my Pokémon can do."

"Just try not to mess up again like with your performance." Ashley said

"Only if I don't let your big ego get in the way of my focus." Tori said

I could only laugh a little at how these two were acting, but smiled as it got me pumped up for my battle. One way or another, I will be facing at least one of them, and I'll be ready for whatever they'll throw at me.

To Be Continued

* * *

_Dawn: Okay so now it's time to prepare for the next round._

_Paul: Don't mess this up okay._

_Barry: Don't worry you'll do fine. You've trained hard for this._

_Paul:Whatever you say. I just hope she doesn't get too overconfident._

_Dawn: Hey no need to worry right. Anyway, see you all next time and sorry that it'll be awhile and sorry that it also took this chapter awhile to come out but things are busy. Anyway please leave a review to let me know what you thought of my contest. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you all next week._


	29. Chapter 29 Confused Feelings

_Hey everyone, I'm back from vacation, I had fun but now it's time to get back to work and continue writing this fanfic. Sorry I left you all on a cliffhanger last time but it's time to continue._

_Now before I start things, I have multiple notes to make that I want you guys to know about. First off, my fanfic about Pokemon Colosseum and Xd is up so if you liked those games and want to read a fanfic about them go check it out._

_Also I have made a poll on what Paul's Eevee should evolve into. I originally was gonna make it Espeon because I thought it would work well and be a good addition but this one guy Jaffa3 suggested that I should make a poll and let the fans decide so I did and you guys can choose so be sure to vote to let me know what you guys want. The poll can be found on my profile page so check it out please._

_Well I think I've wasted enough of your time, so lets get this started and I hope you like the chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 29 Confused Feelings**

"And now I'll show the match ups for the next round." Lillian said.

On the scoreboard showed eight cards, each with a picture of one of the finalists, which of course included Tori, Ashley, and I. After the cards were randomly shuffled, it showed the matchups for the Battle round of the Contest. When it stopped, I saw that I would be battling in the first round, while Tori would go after me, and Ashley was last.

"What do you know? Looks like we all get a reprieve from having to battle each other this round." Ashley said upon inspecting the screen.

"Then that means we have to survive another round before that happens." Tori said.

"No need to worry. I'm positive that all three of us will make it for sure."

"I know at least I'll make it, but you two better win, otherwise it'll be less fun if I don't defeat a potential rival." Ashley stated with a fierce look.

"I'm not gonna lose either!" Tori interjected, determination written all over her face. "You two will be in for quite a shock with what my Pokémon can do."

"Just try not to mess up again like with your performance."

"Only if you don't let your big ego get in the way." Ashley said

I could only laugh a little at how these two were acting, but smiled as it got me pumped up for my battle.

"Are you ready for this?" I asked both of them.

"Of course, besides we all need to face each other later. My only regret is that I won't get to face both of you" Ashley said.

"True but no need to worry. After all there'll be other contests right?" I said.

"I suppose so. Anyway we should prepare. After all we have our matches in a few minutes." Ashley commented on.

"Good point there. So Tori, are you ready for this because it could be fun." I said eagerly.

"Yeah but I have no intention of losing this contest." Tori said.

"Just don't get overconfident. That's defeated plenty of coordinators." Ashley warned.

"I'll be fine" Tori said annoyed.

"Whatever you say" Ashley said as she sighed and then walked away.

"You really don't like her" I noted.

"So what if I don't. She's my just another opponent and I hate how she thinks she's better then me." Tori said.

"She's not that bad besides, she's just trying to convince you not to get your hopes up because it's going to be a hard win for you. After all you have two senior coordinators here. That would be hard for anyone to face." I said.

"Yeah I know but she still bugs me." Tori said.

I suddenly realized something and got an evil smirk on my face. "Oh maybe you're just jealous that she's known Kai longer then you." I teased

"What? No way! Not a chance." Tori shot back defensively but I could tell by the red on her face that she was lying.

"It's okay, I can understand being angry about some competition." I teased.

"Dawn please stop" Tori said annoyed.

"Okay okay no need to worry, I was half kidding." I said giving a small laugh.

"The half kidding part makes me worry a lot." Tori shot back at me.

"Cut it out Tori you know I'm just joking around." I said.

"Fine, so what Pokémons do you intend to use in the second half?" Tori asked intrigued.

"Well my original plan was to go with Bagon and Buneary for the whole thing but I found out that you can use different Pokémon in each battle so for the first match I'm going to let those two rest and use my Squirtle and Ambipom." I said happily.

"Good plan. As for me, I intend to use the same guys as in the appeal round since they've waited so long to be in a contest." Tori said.

"Well I can't blame you for that and I half want to do the same but using Draco Meteor took a lot out of Bagon and if I use Bagon in the next round then I'm afraid Bagon won't be at full power and also I'm scared that Bagon will be too tired to do well. So I decided to save it for when I face you in the next round." I said happily.

"Well we both need to win first." Tori said

"Hey, were did all that confidence go to? You'll make it to the next round no matter what." I said with a grin.

"Yeah you're right." Tori said happily.

I then heard the speakers call the name of my opponent and I.

I then smiled. "Well I guess I'm up. Wish me luck Tori." I said as I walked onto the stage.

* * *

(Paul's POV)  
I had just finished watching Dawn's first round battle and she won it rather easily.

"Well she did well this time." I said

"Yeah I know she's doing awesome right?" Barry said

"I just hope she can keep it up." I said

"She'll do fine Paul. But you got to admit she is doing great today. Besides so far she's on a great winning streak."

"Maybe but it's about to break." Kai said proudly

"Oh really, and what makes you say that" I said

"Just rooting for Tori that's all." Kai said laughing a bit.

"Hey you said you'd root for both her and my big sister." Sara said

"Well I half said that because I didn't want your sister to kill me." Kai said looking away.

"Hey!" Sara said annoyed.

"Besides, Tori needs the help, she's new to this and your sister has you right?" Kai said

"I guess so." Sara said

"Good job saving yourself there." I said

"I had to say something." Kai whispered to me.

We then saw Tori walk onto the stage and she got ready to face her opponent.

"All right, go Tori!" Kai cheered.

"Well he seems to be getting into this." I said

"It's normal to cheer for your friends. Besides I'm not half as loud as Barry was earlier today." Kai said

"Hey what was that? I think it's fining time. Besides I had to cheer loud because Paul was barley making a noise." Barry said.

"What do you want me to do? Screaming loudly in a huge audience of people is weird. Or at least screaming as loudly as you were is." I said.

We continued to watch the battle until we saw Tori win her match but she had a bit of a tough time.

"Well thankfully she was able to pull out a win." Kai said.

"Yeah so it looks like next round it'll be her vs Dawn." I said

"And the winner of that will face my sister." Sara said.

"She hasn't even battled yet so how do you know?" I asked.

"Trust me I know." She answered.

"Whatever. Well at least now we know for a fact that either Tori or Dawn will be in the finals." I said.

"Don't worry, because Dawn's going to win it all." Barry said.

We all kept watching the other matches and saw Ashley come up and she won her match rather easily.

"So, looks like everyone's advanced." I said.

"And the next round will be starting in a few minutes. Unlike most contests we've seen so far, this one is moving fast." Barry said.

"Well it's not like it's that big of a deal." I said.

"Yeah so Dawn and Tori are facing each other, this should be a good show." Kai said.

"Whatever, I couldn't possible care less." I said.

"He's just acting cool, he's really interested and he really wants Dawn to win. He just wants people to think that he doesn't care." Barry said while laughing.

"Do you know the definition of the word shut up?" Paul said

"Do you know that shut up is two words not one?" Barry teased.

"You are so annoying." I said as I face palmed.

"Come on you two cut it out. Let's just get ready to enjoy the show." Kai said.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

"So it's me VS. you huh." Tori said as she starred at the screen.

"Yeah let's both try our best and make it a good battle." I said.

"You two will be going against each other in about a few minutes so you should get ready." Ashley said.

"We know. Let's get ready Tori." I said to Tori.

"Right" She said as we both started to prepare.

"I'm a little nervous to face you." Tori said to me a few minute before our match.

"Same here but I know it'll be fun." I said back.

"Will Dawn and Tori please come out to battle?" Lillian said.

"Let's go." I said as we both headed toward the stairs.

"Right" Tori said.

"Okay it's time for Tori to face Dawn. Let's hope it's a good battle and Let's get busy!" Lillian said.

"Zorua, Leavanny let's go!" Tori said.

"Buneary, Bagon Spotlight!" I said as I sent out my two Pokémon.

The clock then started and we began.

"Leavanny use X Scissor and Zorua use Shadow Ball!" Tori said.

Zorua fired Shadow Ball and Leavanny knocked the ball directly into Bagon.

"Darn it. Buneary use Thunderbolt!" I said as Buneary sent out some Thunder and hit Zorua dead center.

"Oh no Leavanny use Leaf Blade on Buneary!" Tori said.

Leavanny started running toward Buneary and it then took its arms and turned them into blades of leafs.

"That worked fine by me. Bagon don't let the attack hit. Get in the way and use Flamethrower!" I said.

"Gon!" Bagon said while shaking its head. It didn't move at all or attack.

"Bagon what are you doing!" I yelled as I started to Panic. Leavanny then took its blades and slashed Buneary.

"Use X scissor!" Tori said.

"We can't let that hit. Buneary use Ice Beam!" I said as Buneary shot out a beam of ice and sent Leavanny flying backward. "Good now Bagon use Flamethrower!" I said but again Bagon refused to attack.

_What's going on. Why on earth isn't Bagon attacking?_

"Zorua use Dig!" Tori said as Zorua dug a hole and slammed into Buneary.

"Bagon you got to attack! Use Dragon Rush" I said but again Bagon wouldn't listen to me.

"Now go Leavanny use Leaf Blade." Tori said as Leavanny slammed it's blade into Buneary.

"Ice Beam once again!" I said

"Zorua counter it with Shadow Ball!" Tori said as the two attacks got fired and cancelled each other out.

_Darn it. I'm losing points left and right and I've barley even touched Tori's points. _I thought.

* * *

(Paul's POV)

"Hey what's going on here? Dawns not doing so good." Barry said.

"She seems to be surprised for some reason and her Bagon isn't even battling. Why is that?" Kai asked.

"It's not that shocking considering the fact that Bagon hates battling. It only went with Dawn cause it didn't want to battle but I guess since this is a battle part of the contest then I guess Bagon won't battle. I was afraid this might happen." I said calmly.

"Well that's not good. Why would she use Bagon then?" Kai asked.

"Cause she's reckless that's why. Believe me she's stupid at times." I said.

"Tori can be a bit reckless at times too." Kai said.

"You two are smarter than that right?" Sara said.

"I suppose so. Still she really should've thought this through a little more. She was over confident."

"Like you're one to talk. Weren't you the one who was talking about beating Tucker even when you had almost never been in a double battle before? I guess if she is a little confident then she got it from you." Kai said jokingly.

"Shut up. She better change her strategy though otherwise she's done." I said

"You sound worried about her Paul." Kai teased.

"Shut up." I said again.

* * *

(Dawns POV)

"Buneary use Dizzy Punch!" I said.

"Leavanny counter with X Scissor!" Tori said

Leavanny knocked the attack out of the way and slashed Zorua with its arms.

"Now Zorua use Dig!" Tori said as Zorua dug a hole and slammed into Buneary once again.

"Buneary use Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge it both of you and Leavanny use Sing!" Tori said

Both Pokémon got out of the way and Leavanny sang a song that put Buneary to sleep.

"Now go Leavanny, use X Scissor once more!" Tori said as her Leavanny slammed into Buneary with its attack and knocked Buneary out.

"Buneary return" I said as I called back Buneary. I then looked at Bagon and it still didn't look like it wanted to battle. Why wasn't it battling?

_Darn it. It's over. My Bagon doesn't want to attack for some reason. So now all Tori will have to do is attack my defenseless Bagon and she wins._ I thought annoyed.

But for some reason Tori wasn't attacking.

"Dawn is everything okay?" Tori asked.

"I don't know for some weird reason, my Bagon isn't attacking. Look just attack and win." I said.

"No way, that's no way to win. I don't want to attack that way and even if I did, Kai would never let me live it down. Winning that way is low and pathetic so I won't attack!" Tori said.

_She's not attacking. Damn it if only Bagon would attack then we could have a fair battle._ "Bagon please try use an attack. Any attack" I said but Bagon still refused to battle. "Fine then… Bagon return!" I said as I called my Bagon back into its Pokeball.

"What are you doing?" Tori asked.

"I'm quitting for now. Look Bagons not obeying me so I couldn't even continue. But I promise one day I'll fix this problem and we'll have a real match. But for today, you were the better coordinator." I said.

"But…" Tori said but she stopped.

"The winner is Tori and she advances to the finals were she'll be facing Ashley in a few minutes." Lillian said.

I turned and left the stage while Tori remained there and waited for Ashley to come out.

"Sorry about that loss. It was rough." Ashley told me. "But hey! It had to happen so you could learn about your Bagon's little problem. So don't worry about it. It happens to everyone." Ashley told me and walked onto the stage to face Tori.

"Darn it I lost and that was just embarrassing." I said.

"Tell me about it." I heard a voice say. I looked up and saw Paul standing by me.

"What do you want?" I asked with tears in my eyes.

"Nothing, it was a pity 'bout the loss. Still I suppose it has to happen to everyone. Still it sucked that Bagon didn't want to battle. Maybe you should've thought of that first." Paul told me.

"Look I know okay." I replied.

"You say that but I doubt it. Did you forget that your Bagon hates fighting? Did you think that would change? If you want Bagon to help then you need to work with it better. Otherwise you will only be able to use Bagon for the first round." Paul told me.

I remained silent for a minute. "You're right. I suppose I haven't been worrying about Bagon's hatred of battling. We'll have to work on that so the two of us can be more compatible. Still if I'm being told that by you of all people then it must be bad. I was reckless."

"True but It happens. Just don't do it again. And learn from this."

"I guess I will, so thanks." I said with a grin. "Man I'm feeling a bit better. Hey is Barry or anyone else here?"

"No they stayed up in the stands." Paul told me.

"Huh so you came down here all alone. Why? Were you worried that I was sad and wanted to check on me." I said with a slight grin.

"Shut up of course not. Barry was acting all worried and Kai suggested that I should check on you. That's all." He said.

"Okay whatever you say." I said.

"Look we should head back to the stands. You do want to see Tori and Ashley's match right?" Paul said.

"Okay then, lets go." I said

"Good but first you should stop crying. We all lose sometimes but that doesn't mean you should cry over it." Paul said

"Yeah I know, it was just a really rough loss and I felt like I just embarrassed myself." I said looking down.

"Well it happens. I don't cry when I lose, and I've suffered some embarrassing defeats sometimes like when I faced Cinthia or Brandon. I got destroyed both times but instead of crying, I just trained harder and worked on some new strategies. Besides you always take so long getting ready if you ask me it'd be a shame if you ruined all that time you took by crying so stop and we can go back there." Paul said

I smiled and wiped up all my tears. "Okay then lets go back. Thanks for that, it helped." I said

"Like I said, I only came down because Barry insisted that I should." Paul said looking away.

"Okay Paul whatever you say." I said. I had a feeling that Paul was lying about the reason why he came down.

* * *

Paul and I then both headed back up to the stands so we could see the rest of the contest.

"Hay Paul your finally back from the bathroom huh. Besides why is Dawn with you?" Barry asked.

"Shut up Barry." Paul said.

"Huh what do you mean? Didn't Paul come down because Kai and you told him to." I asked.

"We did no such thing." Kai said.

"Oh really" I said looking at Paul with a small smirk.

"So how's it going so far?" Paul asked changing the subject.

"Not good." Kai said.

"Great." Sara said.

"So I take it Ashley's winning." Paul said.

"Winning and dominating." Kai said.

We looked down and saw that Tori was almost out of points while Ashley still had half of hers. Ashley was using her Altaria and a Sceptile.

"Leavanny use Leaf Blade!" Tori said.

"Sceptile use Detect and Altaria fly into the air and charge up for Sky Attack!" Ashley said.

Sceptile got out of the way and Altaria fired its Sky Attack straight at Leavanny and slammed into it.

"Darn it. Zorua use Shadow Ball!"

"Sceptile use Leaf Blade to knock the attack right back at the Pokémon." Ashley said.

Zorua fired the Shadow Ball but Sceptile took its leaf Blade and knocked the Shadow Ball and hit Leavanny.

"Let's end this Sceptile use Leaf storm on both of them." Ashley said.

Sceptile fired its barrage of Leafs that hit both of Tori's Pokémon and knocked out both of them.

"No way" Tori said shocked.

"The winner is Ashley" Lillian said.

"Darn it. I lost." Tori said.

"Good match. I hope we can battle again." Ashley said.

"Yeah you too" Tori said. She then left the stage and we watched as they gave Ashley her fourth ribbon.

"Well that was an interesting contest." Kai said.

"Yeah I suppose so." Paul said.

"We should meet up with the others outside." Kai said.

* * *

After a few minutes, everyone went outside to meet up. There we met up with Tori and Ashley. Paul also gave me back my Piplup inside of its Pokeball.

"Man I can't believe I lost." Tori said

"Hey I feel the same. But at least now I know that I have some things to work on." Dawn said.

"That's good although I wish I could've stayed faced you Dawn." Ashley said.

"Yea same but we'll face each other eventually." I said

"Good."

"So how long are you guys staying here because we may stay in this city a little longer" Tori asked.

"No Idea but I'd like to take it easy for a bit." I said.

"I know right." Tori said.

"I think I'll stay awhile too." Ashley said.

"I take it that means you're staying." Paul said to Kai.

"Of course if Tori stays then I will stay. Same for you right?" He answered.

"I suppose so. Besides I feel as though I should train a little more before my next frontier battle." Paul answered.

"Training's great but it is also nice to take it easy once in awhile. You should try it." Kai said.

"Maybe but I don't know how." Paul said.

"Come on. There are tons of fun things to do here. I hear they have a Pokémon fan club and they even have an awesome beach." Tori said.

"Wow I'd love to see the beach." I said happily.

"I suppose that means we'll have to come too." Paul said.

"Of course that's what it means. You need to learn to have a little fun once in a while. And we are going to have just that." I said as Paul rolled his eyes.

"Hey Dawn you have an Xtransceiver right?" Ashley said.

"Yea that's right."

"Well then how bout I register you and Tori if that's okay."

"That's great." We both said as all of us exchanged numbers.

"Oh right Dawn can I speak with you for a minute?" Tori said.

"Sure" I said as we both walked away from the others.

"Man that was a tough loss for both of us." Tori said as she looked into the sky.

"Yeah but they happen sometimes, I was feeling really down until Paul came and calmed me down." I said.

"Yeah before he went outside, Kai did the same for me. We're lucky to have such good friends." Tori admitted.

"I agree. You know I kind of take it for granted sometimes but we really are lucky. I guess Paul and Kai are alike in some ways." I said.

"Yeah but they are also very different too." Tori said as she laughed.

"That's for sure but it was just like that with another one of Paul's Rivals in Sinnoh. Him and Ash were the biggest rivals and they trained so differently yet their goals were the same. Of course back then Paul was a jerk and I couldn't stand him. But that's life for you I suppose." I said.

"Tell me about it. It's funny how things play out." Tori said as we both laughed a bit.

Suddenly I saw Kenny walking up to me. "Kenny, what on earth are you doing here, I thought you said you had have to leave." I said

"Well something came up but don't worry about it. Anyway, sorry about the loss." Kenny said.

"Oh you saw that? Well it happens to everyone right? There is no need to worry." I said

"Yeah, no need to worry. Anyway, I'm sure you'll do fine in the next contest but I just wanted to see how you were doing." Kenny said.

"Okay then thanks a million Kenny and I'm doing fine. I know I lost and I was feeling bad at first but after a while, I got over it and Paul helped calm me down." I said

"Oh Paul did? Well that was nice of him." Kenny said looking annoyed.

"What's wrong Kenny?" I asked.

"Nothing, just thinking about stuff. Anyway, tell Paul and Barry I said hi." Kenny said as he left.

"Okay bye Kenny." I yelled after him as he walked away. I then turned and saw Tori having an evil smirk on her face as she looked at me. "What is it?" I asked.

"Well somebody's popular with boys." She said laughing.

"What?" I asked a little weirded out.

"I'm just saying it looks like your part of a love triangle between that Kenny kid and Paul." Tori teased.

"Plup, Piplup" My Piplup said angrily as it came out of it's Pokeball. It must've heard what Tori said and got annoyed at it.

"Calm down Piplup. Tori just misunderstood something. From what I know, Paul and Kenny both have a crush on some girl so I guess you could say it's a love triangle. But I'm not involved and Paul won't admit to it." I said laughing.

"Oh really, I could've sworn they liked you. Pity too. Oh well either way it doesn't matter much. So who's the girl they like?" She said.

"No idea, they won't tell me. The only girl I think they both know is Zoey but last I checked, Paul and Zoey didn't get along but who knows." I said confused.

"I see and how do you feel about this?" Tori asked.

"Huh?" I said as confused as I was since the beginning of this conversation.

"I mean are you jealous of either of them?" she précised.

"No. Of course not. I'm happy for them." I said but for some reason I didn't feel so sure about that. I don't know why but suddenly I felt a little bothered by it. I shouldn't have but the thought of either Paul or Kenny with some chick annoyed me. Wait. Was it Paul I was angry about or Kenny? I just didn't know.

"Is something the matter?" Tori asked. She could tell I was in thought from the look on my face.

"It's nothing. Anyway we should head back. And we need to convince everyone to go to the beach soon." I said.

"With two cute girls like us, they'll come without any trouble." Tori joked around.

"Yeah your right." I said as I decided to dismiss the thought I had earlier about Paul and Kenny.

One thing was for sure, today sure was crazy and I may have lost but even though I did, I had fun and I learned something important. And I was more determined than ever to help train Bagon.

To Be Continued.

* * *

_Paul: To bad about the loss._

_Dawn:No need to worry right, losing happens from time to time_

_Barry:Of course, I've lost a bunch of times _

_Paul: Of course you do_

_Dawn: But whats important is that we get back up and try again_

_Paul: Good point just keep working hard I suppose_

_Barry: She'll do find, but Dawn are you confused about some stuff._

_Dawn:Huh, no nothing at all so don't worry about it._

_Barry: You look embarrassed_

_Paul: Cut it out Barry_

_Dawn: Yea, anyway we hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review to let use know what you thought and see you next time._


	30. Chapter 30 Fun At the Beach

_Time for chapter 30. This chapter is going to be a bit of a fun one so I hope you enjoy it. Also this story has just gotten over 100 reviews so thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing it means a lot to me that you guys enjoy reading this fanfic. Another note to make is that the poll on which Eeveelution you want is still up so be sure to vote and also chapter 2 of my other Pokemon fanfic Aproaching Dawn so be sure to vote and check out the story to see if you like it. With all that said I hope you enjoy the chapter please review and lets get started._

* * *

**Chapter 30 Fun At The Beach**

(Paul's POV)  
"Come on Paul, hurry up and wake up." Dawn said happily as I got up.  
"Why are you in such a good mood?" I asked wondering what was making Dawn have such a big grin on.  
"It's because of what we're doing today." She told me.  
"And what exactly was that?" I asked.  
"Don't act like you forgot, today's the day go to the beach." She answered excitedly.  
I thought for a moment until the memory came to me of when Dawn mentioned that. "Oh yeah you did say that. Well have fun, I'm off to train some more." I said as I started to get out of bed but Dawn just glared at me.

"What?" I asked.  
"You're coming with us." She said.  
"What? Why do I have to? You're going with Tori, Ashley and Sara and besides I bet Barry will come too. So there's really no need for me too." I replied, trying to get off the outing.  
"We said we would go together! Now come on!" She said in a forceful way.  
"Why must I?" I asked.  
"Because everyone said that we should go and it'll be fun. So take a day off." She replied more forcefully.  
"I took a day off when we all went to that stupid Ping Pong place remember?" I said as an excuse, hoping she would let it go.

"I do but still we should all go. It'll be fun." She said ignoring, the fact that she was contradicting herself.  
"Look I don't care either way. Wait a second, where's Barry?" I asked  
Dawn just had a small smirk on when she heard me.  
"Were the hell is Barry?" I asked again.  
"Shopping." She simply said back.  
"For What?" I asked suspiciously.  
"Stuff." She said laughing a bit.  
Almost on cue, Barry then came into the room. "Hey Dawn I'm back." He said as he entered. "So is Paul coming or is the married couple still fighting." Barry teased.  
"The what?!" Dawn and I both exclaimed.  
"I'm kidding so calm down. It was a joke guys." Barry said laughing to himself.  
"I hate you." I said.  
"How hurtful." Barry said sarcastically.  
"So did you buy everything I asked you to?" Dawn asked.  
"Yeah of course." Barry said holding up a bag.  
"What did he buy?" I asked suspicious as ever.  
"Bathing Suits for the beach." Dawn and Barry said together.  
"I got one for all three of us since we left ours all back in Sinnoh." Barry said.  
"I didn't leave mine in Sinnoh. I never owned one to begin with." I said  
"You've never been to the beach. Man you've been missing out on some serious fun. There so much to do there." Dawn said happily.  
"And I'm sure we're going to have to do everything if I come wont we?" I deadpanned.  
"Not a matter of 'if'. You're coming period." Dawn said in a demanding tone.  
"For the last time I don't want to come." I said in an even more demanding tone.  
Dawn stood there for a second. Then she got a grin. "Fine then you don't have to come. After all we can't force you to do something you don't want to do. But it really sucks because poor Barry went out this morning and bought all the stuff for the beach. He thought about all three of us and he even got up extra early just so he could pick them up. He could've gotten hurt for all we know but he still went. But I suppose you could not come." She said.  
_Is she trying to guilt me into coming? Darn it, at this rate she won't stop. And I suppose her goal is make me feel like an ass. Fine, I suppose one day of going to the stupid beach can't be that bad and besides as much as I hate to admit it, usually the stuff they do is actually kind of fun though I refuse to ever admit it to them._  
"Fine then I'll come just to shut you two up." I said.  
"All right I knew you'd agree eventually." She said proudly.  
"So when are we going and where is the beach?" I asked.  
"Right now, so just follow us." Dawn said.  
"Fine" I said as we all got up and left.

* * *

"Here we are." Barry said happily as we all arrived at the beach.  
"Wonderful, can't wait." I said sarcastically.  
"Right! So let's all have some fun." Dawn said.  
"So what are we supposed to do exactly?" I asked.  
"Well first we go and get changed into our bathing suits." Dawn explained.  
"Great." I said. as me and Barry went to go get changed.

When we came out of the changing room, we now all had our beach clothes on. I had a pair of dark purple swimming trunks on. Barry had a pair of yellow ones on.  
"So now all we have to do is wait for Dawn to get ready." Barry said.  
"Why isn't she done?" I asked as I wondered what took her so long to get change.  
"Girls take awhile. Don't ask me why, I never understand them but it's a fact." Barry explained.  
"Got to agree with you there." I said.  
"Yeah well I suppose all girls are alike. Even Ashley always took forever when we traveled together and so does Tori." We heard a voice that clearly belonged to Kai say. We then turned around and Saw Kai walking toward us. He was wearing a pair of red swimming trunks and even though we were at the beach, he was still had his red hat on.  
"So you finally showed up huh." I said.  
"Yeah. Tori went off to go get changed so I bet she's with Dawn." Kai said  
"That's a safe bet." Barry said.  
"I find it funny though how the first thing you say to us is 'Yea well I suppose all girls are alike.' You know you could start off by saying Hi to us." I said.  
"Sorry 'bout that, you two just seemed to be having a fun conversation so I thought I'd join in." Kai said.  
"Whatever. So why exactly are you still wearing that hat. Seems a little strange that you'd wear it to the beach." I said.  
"Maybe a bit strange but I like this hat. It's important to me 'cause my parents gave it to me on the day I started my journey. To me, this hat is priceless. Do you have anything like that?" Kai asked.  
"Can't say that I do. I don't hold on to items that much."  
"Me neither." Barry said.  
"Is that so. Well whatever."  
"Hey you guys, we're here. Hope we didn't keep you waiting long." We all heard Dawn say.  
When we turned around, we saw Dawn, Tori, Ashley, and Sara all heading towards us.  
Dawn was wearing a pink and blue two piece bikini. Tori was wearing a light purple two piece bikini. Ashley was wearing a white two piece bikini. And finally, Sara was wearing a orange two piece bikini.  
Also with Tori was her Zorua and with Dawn was her Piplup.  
"Sorry we took awhile." Dawn said too us.  
"No big deal. We all came here to have fun anyway." Kai said  
"Why do you have your Piplup and Zorua out?" I asked.  
"So they can go swimming duh." Tori and Dawn said as if the answer was obvious.  
"Oh of course how stupid of me to ask." I said.  
"I guess Dawn and Tori like bringing their two Pokémon into the water with them. After all it's good to let your Pokémon go swimming once in awhile." Kai said  
"I know, right! So let's all go swimming." Tori said happily.

* * *

We all got in the ocean and swam for about an hour. To be honest, it was boring as hell. I kept getting water in my eyes and there was nothing to do.  
One thing that I found strange was the fact that Dawn's Piplup had a water tube on it. _Why on earth would a water type need a water tube to float. Can't it swim on its own? It's really strange and I wonder why. I'll have to ask Dawn about it when the day is done._ I thought to myself.  
"Bored out of your mind huh." Kai said to me.  
"Exactly. Dawn and Barry pretty much forced me to come here. I had no choice. What about you, did Tori beg you to come?"  
"You crazy? I was excited to come here. It's nice to have some fun once in awhile."  
"True but I was planning on training today. Now my plans have changed obviously. A pity too, I could've gotten some good training done." I admitted.  
"Maybe so but then you'd miss out on having fun on such a nice day. Believe me, On nice days like today, Tori and I always try to make the best of it." Kai said.  
"Is it really that nice? I haven't noticed."  
"Are you crazy?" Dawn said from behind us.  
"Apparently so." I said simply  
"Paul today is beautiful. The sun is out and it's nice and warm. It's so hot outside that you have to go swimming. If you didn't do that, Then you'd sweat yourself 'till you started to melt. And to be honest that's another reason why we didn't want you to train today, because we knew it was too hot to focus on training and we didn't want you to work yourself or your Pokémon so hard that you would make yourself sick or wounded." Dawn explained.  
"Well thanks for worrying about me." I said sarcastically.  
"You could be a little more serious for once. You know we don't have to worry about you." She retorted.  
"Then please don't." I said.  
"Geez and here I thought today would be a nice calm day for once." Dawn said annoyed.  
"You should really be nicer to her Paul. She just cares about you. That's all. You're lucky to have such a good friend." Kai asked.  
"Maybe so." I said. I then started whispering to Kai. " Though it's not like I'll ever tell her that." I whispered as Kai laughed.  
"What did he tell you?" Dawn asked sounding suspicious.  
"Oh nothing. Just how he actually does appreciate your friendship and company." Kai said.  
"You bastard." I said annoyed.  
Dawn simply laughed at this. "Aw how cute. Paul actually does care about his friends." Dawn teased.  
"Be quiet. It's the last time I ever say anything good about you." I said.  
"I doubt that. But don't worry; I'll be sure to say nice things about you too okay." Dawn teased as she splashed a wave of water in my face.  
She then started to laugh a bit and I just stared at her for minute. I then did something incredibly childish, I splashed her with water back (But in my defense she started it).  
"That's it! Now this is war!" Dawn said.  
She then splashed me some more and I splashed back. This went on for about ten minutes.  
"Geez you two sure are acting like a bunch of little kids." Kai said laughing.  
"Shut up!" Dawn and I both said as we splashed him and Tori.  
"What the hell you two!" Kai exclaimed.  
"I didn't even do anything!" Tori yelled as the four of us got into a little water fight. (Later on, Barry, Ashley, and Sara joined in too).

* * *

After a few minutes, we were done, and tired so we stopped.  
"I can't believe I did something so childish." I said.  
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You just had a little fun. I personally think it was a good thing for us to do. Still you looked like you were really enjoying yourself which shocked me." Dawn said.  
"I think we all got shocked by that. But it was still fun so I'm glad we had a little water fight." Tori said.  
"Yeah, you seemed to be having a fun time Tori." Kai said.  
"You were having just as much fun as everyone else Kai. I also think you two were acting like both a kid and a dork so stop talking like you were the mature one when we all know that you were being just as much of a child as the rest of them." Ashley said.  
"That's right big sister." Sara said.  
"You were acting like a little kid too." Kai said too Sara.  
"That's 'cause I'm a whole year younger then you guys."  
"True. Hey Paul mind if I ask a quick question?" Kai asked.  
"Shoot." I said  
"How did you Dawn and Barry all end up traveling together?"  
"Yeah I'd like to know that too." Tori said.  
"Me too. From what I saw on TV, Paul always traveled independently. So I'd like to know how you all started traveling together." Sara said.  
"Well let's see. I guess my brother, Dawns mother, and Barry's father all told us we should do it. I admit at first I couldn't stand the idea but to be honest training has been easier when it's with other people. And they haven't exactly slowed me down." I said.  
"Yeah I guess that makes sense. So which do you think was better traveling alone or with those two." Kai asked  
"Alone was definitely easier I'll tell you that much. But as to which I prefer, I'm not too sure. It's been interesting since they came along so I'll give them that." I said.  
"Aw how nice of you Paul." Dawn, her voice dripping with sarcasm.  
"Yeah good to know you care." Barry said equally as sarcastic.  
"I take it back, Alone was ten times better." I said.  
Everyone laughed at this.  
"So how did Kai and Tori end up traveling together?" Dawn asked  
"Good question. Well you see I had just arrived in the Kanto region and nearby, I saw Tori was being picked on by some weird looking guys." Kai said.  
"Team Alpha?" I asked.  
"Not that time. They had R's on their shirts. I think they said their names were Cassidy and Bill or something like that." Kai said.  
"Butch. Cassidy and Butch." Tori said.  
"Sound like team rocket." Dawn said.  
"Well any way they kept on trying to get Tori to hand over her Pokémon since Unova guys are rare." Kai explained.  
"Oh let me guess, did you then go and save her?" Dawn guessed.  
"Well…" Kai started.  
"Didn't go like that did it Kai?" Tori teased.  
"No not exactly. Well I tried to help her but those guys kind of set a trap and I fell into a hole." Kai said sounding a bit embarrassed  
"You sure you're not asking about Mat or Barry?" I said.  
"Kai can be a bit of an idiot who forgets to think sometimes." Tori said laughing a bit.  
"Anyway, by the time I got out, Tori had already beaten them both. I then saw some of her Unova Pokémon and to put it lightly, I was surprised."  
"He kept asking me if he could see them and he was also asking all about them. So I decided that I'd tell him about Unova Pokémon's if he told me about some Hoen's." Tori explained.  
"So we did and after a little while I asked if she wanted to travel with me." Kai said.  
"Do you always ask people you just meet that question?" I said finding it weird how Kai would ask Tori that the moment after he met her.  
"Why not? She seemed nice and I figured it'd be fun to hang out with someone from Unova. Plus it's always fun being with weird people. And Tori's definitely weird." Kai explained.  
"Hey!" Tori said offended. "Last time I checked, you're plenty weird too. I've lost count of how many times you've done something weird or embarrassing."  
"It's just who I am. Can't help it. But yeah that's the story of how we started traveling together. Not really that great but hey at least its better then my parents making me do it." Kai said.  
"My brother was the one who told me to go not my parents." I said.  
"Do you even have parents?" Dawn asked.  
"Of course I do. I just choose to live with my brother 'cause he actually works just like a parent does. That and since he was once a trainer I could learn from him. What did you think I was just born out of thin air." I said.  
"That's not what I meant. I just thought it was weird that we never saw your parents." Dawn said.  
"Have I ever met your father or Barry's mother?:" I asked.  
"No." she replied.  
"Then you don't need to meet them." I said flatly.  
"still it's funny how you three ended up traveling together because your parents and big brother told you to." Kai said.  
"So what? At least we didn't try to save someone and end up embarrassing ourselves." Paul said.  
"He's right about that." Tori said with a grin.  
"Cut it out guys." Kai said.  
Suddenly we all heard a voice start yelling "Hey Dawn, Paul, and Barry." The voice said as we all saw Mat come running towards us. "I guess you guys decided to come to the beach too. Isn't that funny?" Mat said as he walked up to us. He was wearing a light green pair of swimming trunks.  
"Yeah it sure is. So have you beaten Surge yet and earned your third gym badge?" Dawn asked.  
"You know it! It was a hard battle but I was able to win with my Swarmpert since it had a type advantage." Mat said. His Marshtomp must've evolved.  
"So you finally evolved your Marshtomp and you even earned a new badge. Nice going Mat." Kai said.  
"Well I know it was impressive. Huh. Wait a minute, Kai is that you?" Mat asked sounding shocked.  
"The one and only." Kai said.  
"I'm here too by the way." Ashley said.  
"Oh hey you guys, so how have you been. Man it's great to see you again." Mat said.  
"Don't tell me you just noticed us." Kai said sounding a little annoyed.  
"Well I'm sorry about that. But hey no hard feelings right?" Mat said offhandedly.  
"I'm a little annoyed that you didn't recognize your own two best friends. We only traveled together for what a year? And you don't even recognize us." Kai said.  
"Come on Kai. So I didn't see you there. It happens." Mat said.  
"I suppose so. Still It's good to see that you haven't changed one bit since Hoen." Kai said  
"Well he sure seems like a bit of a dork Kai. No wonder you two were best friends." Tori teased.  
"Hey cut that out. You have no right to say that miss, um, um, Who are you again? I forgot." Mat said.  
"You didn't forget, we never met." Tori said.  
"Oh thank god, I tend to forget people sometimes. So what's your name?" Mat asked.  
"Tori. I've been traveling with Kai ever since he arrived in Kanto." Tori said as she waved to Mat.  
"Ah I see. Nice to meet you. So Kai looks like you finally got yourself a girlfriend and a pretty cute one at that." Mat said  
"Cut it out and shut up Mat." Kai yelled.  
"Oh sorry guess not." Mat said.  
"You really are the same perverted and childish idiot we remember you being." Ashley teased.  
"Yeah I know we've only met once before but I remember you being kind of stupid." Sara said.  
"Huh. Who the hell are you?" Mat said to Sara clearly having no idea who she was.  
"She's my younger sister you idiot." Ashley said.  
"You had a sister? Are you sure?" Mat said  
"I think I'd know if I had family. Besides you've met once before in Hoen." Ashley said sounding angry.  
"You sure about that? Well I have no memory of it." Mat said, taken aback.  
"I swear you forget everything that doesn't involve battling. I think all boys are like that." Ashley said.  
"Agreed." Tori said.  
"Yeah Paul, Barry, and Ash were like that so I'd say that is about as true as it gets." Dawn said with a grin.  
"Cut it out." I said.

* * *

For the rest of the day, we all swam some more and hung out with each other until it late afternoon and we decided to head back.  
"Well see you guys later." Dawn said.  
"We'll probably be leaving the city soon so who knows when we'll meet up again." I said.  
"Hey hold on a minute." Kai said to me."Think you can stay for one more day?"  
"Why would you want us to stay?" I asked interested to hear what Kai had planned.  
"Well trust me, it'll be good." Kai said as he whispered something in Mat's and Ashley's ears.  
"Not a bad idea. It would be fun to do it." Ashley said.  
"I totally agree with you. Man what an awesome idea. This will be sweet." Mat said.  
"What is it you're scheming?" I asked.  
"Nothing bad, but hopefully it will be something fun." Kai said.  
"So what is it?" I asked.  
"Well by tomorrow I'll have Tori give Dawn an address to head to and I'd like you guys to meet us there."  
"And what are we all going to do there exactly?" I asked.  
"Man you really don't get the purpose of a surprise." Kai said.  
"I don't like surprises that much." I said.  
"Well hopefully you'll like this one. Trust me by tomorrow I'll have Tori send Dawn a message through the Xtransceiver and once you get it, you'll have the location of the place we'll all be meeting at." Kai said.  
"I still wish you'd just tell me what you're planning." I said annoyed.  
"Come on Paul. It's a surprise. I bet we'll all have fun." Dawn said to me.  
"Fine then, we'll stay one more day. See you tomorrow I suppose." I said, giving in.  
"Great. See you guys tomorrow. Can't wait" Kai said.  
"Man this'll be awesome." Mat said.  
"I hope so." Ashley said.  
Everyone then left, leaving Dawn, Barry, and I to head to the Pokémon center.  
"I wonder what they're planning." Dawn said.  
"Whatever it is they seem pretty excited about it." I said.  
"It better be epic or I'm so going to fine them!" Barry said.  
"Hey no need to worry right. I'm sure whatever they're planning it'll be awesome." Dawn said trying to sooth us.  
"It better be." I said as we head headed back to the Pokémon center and I wondered what Kai and the others had planned for tomorrow.  
To be continued.

* * *

_Dawn: Well that was a fun day wasn't it._

_Paul: I suppose so but I wonder what happens next time._

_Barry: I know, I'm excitted to see what everyone has in store for us._

_Dawn: Yea I know. So Paul I looked cute today didn't I_

_Paul: Not really _

_Barry: Someones blushing and lying_

_Paul: Barry shut up_

_Dawn: Scared to admit it eh. Anyway I can't wait for next time. Please review to let us know what you thought and see you all next time._


	31. Chapter 31 Vs Rivals part 1

_Okay next chapter time and I posted it a bit early because I won't be able to post on Saturday so I decided to do it today so I hope you like it. Not much else to say besides that the poll is still up so lets begin._

* * *

**Chapter 31 Rival Battles Part 1**

(Paul's POV)

We woke up the next morning with a phone call from Tori sending us the locations to the place Kai wanted to meet all of us at.

"So I guess we better get going." Dawn suggested.

"Seems that way. I wonder what exactly Kai is planing though." I said.

"Whatever, lets just hurry up and get to the place Tori texted you." Barry said

* * *

We then left the Pokemon center and headed to the location Tori sent us. Much to our surprise, we all saw a grassy field. The field was mostly tall green grass, but it had a few flowers blowing with the wind in it as well.. On the other side of the grass, we saw Kai, Tori, Ashley, Sara, and Mat all standing there.

"Finally showed up eh!" Mat said sounding excited as we walked over to greet them.

"You bet. S what is it you wanted from us." I asked.

"Man, I had hoped you'd figure it out by now. But I guess I'll tell you. Lets see who's team is the best trainers. " Kai said.

"What do you mean by that Kai?" Dawn asked.

"Well since me, Mat, and Ashley used to travel together, I thought it'd be fun to face you three which are currently traveling together."

"Sounds interesting. What are the rules?" I asked.

"We each have one member from our team face someone from the other team. I figured we could do Barry vs. Mat, Dawn vs Ashley, and Me vs you." Kai said to me.

I then turned to Ashley. " I could've sworn you said you don't battle." I said to her.

"I usually don't. But every once in awhile, I make an exception. And besides a battle between coordinators is just like the battle part of the contest only without a timer right Dawn." Ashley said to Dawn.

"You're right there Ashley. But wait, if Ashley, Mat, and Kai are facing Paul, Barry, and I then what will Tori and Sara do." Dawn asked wondering almost exactly what I was wondering.

"Well I thought It'd be fun if I could be the referee of the battles. After all you will need a Referee right." ? Tori suggested.

"I guess so. Okay then Tori, Ref away." Dawn said

"And I'll be studying the battle since I'm still new to being a trainer. I figure I can learn some cool new things if I watch a group of skilled trainers and coordinators battle." Sara said.

"That's smart thinking." I said.

"Thanks Paul."

"Anyway, I think it'd be good if Tori explains the rules. She is going to be the referee after all so its only fitting. Take it away Tori." Kai said.

"Right, well to put it simple, each trainer will face of against the trainer they have been assigned to face. The two trainers will then participate in a one on one Pokémon battle. Whoever wins the battle will win their team a point. By the end, the team with the most points will win." Tori explained.

"So it's just a simple one on one battle to see which team is better, Dawn, Barry, and I or you, Mat, and Ashley." I said.

"That's right. Seems simple enough, right?" Kai said

"As simple as it can get." I answered.

"Good so then I take it you accept our challenge. I hope so 'cause this would be really fun and a good chance to test our current skill level. Plus it's been forever since the last time Mat, Ashley and I have all been together like this so it should be fun. So are you guys in or not?"

"I'm in no matter what. Paul, Dawn, you two better be in too or I'm gonna fine both of you." Barry said

"There's no way I'm missing this chance, it sounds way too fun. So I'm in this battle no matter what!" Dawn said energetically.

"And I think I should get a little payback for the last time we battled and you beat me. So I'm gonna face you Kai and this time the outcome will be different. I'm taking you way down." I said

"We'll see about that, I have no intention to just sit back and hand over a victory to you." Kai said.

"Okay, since both sides agree, let's get things started." Tori said energetically.

"You're really having a fun time doing this aren't you?" Kai said to Tori as he laughed a bit.

"You bet I am. This is fun and I intend to try my hardest." Tori said as she sticked out her tongue at Kai.

"Hey I never said it was bad. If anything its funny how your enjoying yourself so much."

"Anyway, which two trainers would like to battle first." Tori asked again.

"Me first! I have to go up first. I've been waiting to have a good battle and I'm ready!" Mat said excited as he stepped up.

* * *

(Barry's POV)

"Well looks like your up Barry." Paul said to me.

"Right and I'll win this battle no matter what. You can count on that." I said as I stepped up.

"Mat vs Barry. Both of you send out your Pokémon." Tori said,

"Go Ludicolo!" Mat said as he sent out his Ludicolo.

"All right I guess I'll be using Xatu!" I said as I sent out my Psychic flying bird Pokémon.

"A Flying and Psychic toy Pokémon like Xatu should have a huge advantage against a Water and Grass type Pokémon like Ludicolo." Dawn said happily

"Don't forget how strong some of Mat's guess are. Think for a minute and I'm sure you'll remember how good he was when he faced me. Remember his Lombre? Well I'm willing to bet that he evolved it and that's why he has a Ludicolo now." Paul explained.

"Ludicolo huh. I should probably look it up." Dawn said as she took out her Pokédex.

"Ludicolo, the Carefree Pokémon. Ludicolo becomes extremely active whenever it hears a cheery rhythm. This can also lead it to exert extreme power in battle" The Pokédex said.

"Sounds pretty dangerous. But I wonder what it means by 'cheery rhythm can lead it to exert extreme power in battle'. Sounds kinda weird." Dawn said.

"Probably that." Paul said as he pointed to Ludicolo.

Ludicolo was doing this super weird and freaky dance.

"Ah, what is that thing it's doing? It's creeping me out!" I said being a little freaked out.

"All right! Ludicolo's dancing! This means we're gonna have a good battle today." Mat said energetically.

"I guess Mat finally evolved his Lombre." Kai said.

"Yeah. If you ask me that silly carefree Pokémon is the perfect partner for Mat." Ashley said.

"You're right about that. Don't forget, Mat had his Lotad even before he got his starter. Still I find it funny that it took him this long to evolve it. What did not know that he had to use a stone a something?" Kai said.

"I doubt that. Mat's not that stupid." Ashley said

"Um…" Mat said slightly embarrassed.

"You gotta be kidding me." Kai and Ashley said together

"Hey can we hurry up and begin this, I really want to get this started. So lets start right now or I'm gonna fine all of you!" I yelled annoyed.

"Right. Mat vs Barry Ludicolo vs Xatu. Begin!" Tori yelled

"Ludicolo use Rain Dance!" Mat said.

Ludicolo then started to danse really weirdly and as it danced, the sky became darker. It went from being a nice bright day to a dark and cold day in a matter of seconds. After a little while, it even started to rain.

"Great, now we're all wet." Dawn said annoyed.

"Rain Dance causes the weather to change to rain. Smart move considering that Ludicolo's ability is either Swift Swim or Rain Dish. Either one could be trouble. Swift Swim would increase Ludicolo's speed in the rain and Rain Dish would heal Ludicolo in the Rain. Either way, it looks like things are starting out bad for you Barry." Paul said

"Aw man this isn't good at all. Xatu we need to start things off good. Use Shadow Ball on Ludicolo!" I said

Xatu fired its Shadow Ball and hit Ludicolo knocking it down however, it only stayed down for a few seconds and it rose to its feet again.

"All Right, now go Ludicolo use Hydro Pump!' Mat said.

"Dodge it and use Future Sight!" I yelled.

Ludicolo fired its Hydro Pump but Xatu was able avoid it and use Future Sight by glowing its eyes in the light blue color.

"Good now use Aerial Ace!" I said

Xatu flew straight toward Ludicolo and hit it with great speed.

"Solorbeam!" Mat said.

"While it's charging up for Solorbeam, hit it hard with another Aerial Ace!" I said.

Ludicolo started to charge up for its Solorbeam attack, but Xatu flew straight into it.

"Use Aerial Ace once more!" I said

Xatu flew toward Ludicolo but the moment before Xatu could hit Ludicolo, Ludicolo fired it's Solarbeam and hit Xatu dead center. However, the moment after the Solarbeam hit, Ludicolo took damage from the Future Sight.

"Ludicolo stand tall and fire Hydro Pump!" Mat said.

"Let's show them our power by using Shadow Ball!" I said

Xatu fired its Shadow Ball and Ludicolo fired its Hydro Pimp and the two attacks collided for just a second because the Hydro Pump was clearly stronger. It ended up going through the Shadow only Ball easily and hit Xatu, dealing a lot of damage. I could see My Xatu was getting tired as it struggled to rise to, feet breathing heavily. But what was weird was the fact that Mat's Ludicolo wasn't breathing nearly as hard as it should've been. I knew that I had hit it with many super effective attacks.

"So I guess Ludicolo's ability is Rain Dish after all. That would explain why Ludicolo is still doing good with its health." Paul said.

"Yea that does make sense. But man is this unfair; I think someone deserves a fine."

"So Ludicolo's ability is Rain Dish huh. That's good to know. Thanks for telling me." Mat said.

"You got to be kidding me. You don't even know your own Pokémon's ability."

"I have no Idea how to learn that stuff. It's all confusing to me." Mat said

"You know you can check that stuff by using your Pokédex right?" Paul said.

"Nope. but I do now so thanks for the info." Mat said.

"Idiot." Paul said

"Now were did we leave off. Oh yea, Ludicolo use Hydro Pump again!" Mat said

Ludicolo fired its Hydro Pump but luckily Xatu was able to Dodge it.

"Man this isn't good. That Rain Dance makes Hydro Pump a lot stronger so it can beat my Xatu's Shadow Ball attack. Xatu try firing another Shadow Ball!" I said

Xatu obeyed and fired a Shadow Ball that luckily Ludicolo didn't dodge.

"Hydro Pump!" Mat yelled as Ludicolo fired yet another Hydro Pump that hit Xatu.

_Darn it, this is annoying. Whatever move I use seems pointless and that Ludicolo has to much of a power boost. This is so confusing. Wait a minute, that's it._ I thought to myself as I came up with a plan.

"Hydro Pump again!" Mat said.

"Okay Xatu let dodge it by using Aerial Ace!" I said

Xatu flew around to dodge the Hydro Pump and Xatu then flew into Ludicolo hitting it hard. Now Ludicolo was starting to look a bit tired.

"Now go Xatu fly up to it and use Confuse Ray!" I said.

Xatu flew up to Ludicolo and fired the small ball that caused Ludicolo to become confused.

"Ludicolo try using Thunder Punch!" Mat said.

But instead of using Thunder Punch on Xatu, Ludicolo hit itself with Thunder Punch.

"Oh NO!" Mat said as he started to panic.

"Oh yes! Xatu use Aerial Ace and don't stop until you beat Ludicolo!" I said.

Xatu then kept on flying into Ludicolo again and again and after the fourth blow, Ludicolo got knocked down for the count. Xatu was definitely tired since it was covered in scratches and breathing heavy but at least we had won the battle.

"Ludicolo is unable to battle this makes Barry and Xatu the winners! That's one point to Paul, Dawns, and Barry's team!" Tori said.

"Darn it I lost. Ludicolo return, you were great." Mat said annoyed.

"All right we won! Excellent job Xatu now come back for a good and well earned rest." I said as I recalled my Xatu.

"Nice going Barry." Dawn said

"I'm shocked you didn't mess up and embarrass yourself." Paul said

"Thanks you guys, now make sure you do good too." I said deciding not to pay any attention to what he just said.

"Right." Dawn and Paul both said. We then turned to see Mat talking with Kai and Ashley.

"Sorry I lost." Mat said

"It happens to the best of us." Kai said.

"Yeah, no big deal. Don't worry, we'll try our best to win." Ashley said.

"Hey which of you guys want to battle next?" Tori asked.

"Your call Kai." Ashley said.

"I'd rather go last if that's okay with you." Kai said

"I'm fine with that."

"Good. And what about you Pau?. Are you okay with battling last?" Kai asked Paul.

"Sounds fine to me. Doesn't matter when we battle." Paul responded.

"Awesome ! Then lets have pour battle be last. Oh and also even if Ashley looses this one, then we still should have a battle 'cause I wanna face you again. Is that all okay with you?" Kai asked.

"That's fine by me. It would be boring if we didn't battle just because Dawn and Barry both won."

"Good then glad you agree. However it doesn't really matter since Ashley's winning. Right Ashley." Kai said.

"We'll see about that. Dawn is good and this should be a fun battle." Ashley said as she stepped up.

* * *

(Dawn's POV)

Well I guess it's my turn." I said confidently.

"Good luck." Paul said.

"Thanks. I'll try my best." I said as I stepped up.

"Wait, before we begin this battle, I think we should do something about the rain that's going on from earlier. After all it would be a pain to battle in all of this rain don't you think?" Ashley said happily.

"Yeah you're right about that. I'm soaking wet and it's annoying to be getting drenched in the middle of a battle." I said.

"Well sorry for trying to do a good combo in order to win my battle." Mat said annoyed and a little embarrassed.

"But in the end, you still lost so doesn't that make the Rain dance pointless? Kind of funny in a way since you tried so hard to win but you still got beaten." Kai said laughing a bit.

"What? You got to be kidding me. I have a little bad luck and you people make fun of me" Mat yelled angrily as it continued to rain. He then stepped forward, but slipped on the wet ground, and fell on his back. "Ow!" He said pain.

"Still think using Rain dance was a smart idea? Ashley can you please get rid of the rain before someone else gets hurt." Kai said laughing.

"Oh I intend to. Sceptile come on out and put on a show!" Ashley said as she sent out her Sceptile.

"How does she intend to get rid of rain with that?" Mat asked as he tried to stand back up but slipped and fell again.

"Simple. By doing this. Sceptile use Sunny day!" Ashley said.

Sceptile raised its hands in the air and the sky that was pouring with rain, suddenly became a clear and sunny sky.

"All right, it's nice out again. Now we can have an awesome battle!" I said happily.

"I had a feeling your Sceptile would still know Sunny Day. After all, that was always your favorite combo. You'd always use Sunny Day first and then use Solorbeam multiple times without needing to charge up for it. That would always drive you opponents crazy." Kai said with a grin.

"Yea but now she used her move before the battle. Doesn't that give a bit of an advantage over Dawn?" Paul said as he had his eyes narrowed toward Ashley.

"I doubt that. I have no intention of using Sceptile or a fire type for that matter. It would put me at an unfair advantage and I can't stand having that." Ashley said as she took out her Pokéball and recalled Sceptile into it.

"Okay but then could you give me a few minutes to change up my plan. You see I intended to use a fire type but now I'm going to have to change 'cause I don't want an unfair advantage.

"You don't have to do that, I wouldn't want you to change your strategy up too much. That would ruin all plans you have and put me at an unfair advantage and I wouldn't want that." Ashley said.

"But…" I started.

"Like I said, it's no big deal. Besides, this will make things more of a challenge." Ashley said

"Well okay then. I suppose I'll stick to the plan I had."

"Trust me, you'll need all the help you can get to beat my sister." Sara said.

"Be carful and don't get overconfident just 'cause you have a huge advantage since your fire type moves will be more powerful. You should still be carful, after all, she did end up winning the contest a few days ago so be carful. She also uses different Pokémon depending on the situation so you really need to lay it carefully." Paul warned me.

"No need to worry, I know and I'll be carful. But thanks for being concerned about me." I said with a grin.

_ Still, I should be careful. Ashley had many good combinations when she beat Tori. This won't be easy but I have to try my best._ I thought.

"Okay so are you two ready to begin now?" Tori asked.

"I'm good." Ashley said

"Same." I said

"Okay then both of you send out your Pokémon!" Tori said.

"Let's do this. Kirlia come on out so we can put on a show!" Ashley said as she sent out her Kirlia.

"That's a new Pokémon? Any way I know just who to use. Quilave spotlight!" I said as I sent out Quilava. The previous day, I switched Quilava back into my party from the Pokémon center because I was planning on asking Ashley if she wanted to battle.

"All right Dawn and Quilava vs Ashley and Kirlia. Begin!" Tori said

"Quilava use Flame Wheel!" I said

"Catch it with Psychic and then throw it to the ground!" Ashley said.

Quilava breathed flames all over its body and then rolled toward Kirlia but Kirlia used its Psychic to catch Quilava and throw it straight to the ground. After Quilava hit the ground, its flames went out so the Flame Wheel got cancelled out. Luckily, it looked as though Quilava barly took any damage.

_ Well that didn't work but on the bright side, we are still strong and ready so I think it's time to use our best attack._ I thought.

"Kirlia use Psybeam now!"

"All right Quilava, lets show them our most powerful attack. Quilava use Eruption!" I said.

Quilava shot out a huge amount of fire from its back and Kirlia shot out a beam of energy from it's two hands. However, Quilava's attack cut straight through Kirlia's attack as if it was butter. The Eruption slammed into Kirlia with great force and Kirlia struggled to rise to its feet while being covered in bruises and scratched.

"So far so good. Now Quilava use Euruption once again!" I said.

"Kirlia avoid it and heal yourself with recover!" Ashley said.

Quilava fired an Eruption attack, but Kirlia had simply ducked to avoid the move. Kirlia then surrounded itself in a white light and all of most of Kirlia's scratches and Bruises had healed.

"Now use Psybeam!" Ashley said

"Dodge it and then use Flamethrower!" I said.

Quilava tried to dodge the attack but Kirlia followed it around and slammed the Psybeam into Quilava. Quilava then fired its Flamethrower but Kirlia spun in a circle and moved to the left to avoid it and then fired another Psybeam attack that once again hit Quilava.

_Looks like Quilava's taken some damage now. This means Eruption will be useless. Darn it, this was the opposite of what I wanted to happen. Now things are looking really bad and I'm not sure how we're gonna win. No I can't quit yet. No need to worry, I'll turn this thing around._ I thought.

"I'm shocked that Kirlia dodged my attack and fired a new one without your command." I said.

"Maybe she can speak to her Pokémon telaphoneable." Barry said.

"I hope you mean telepathically." Paul said.

"Oh yeah. It's kind of similar to what Sabrina could do. You know use her mind to do all sorts of creepy and weird things." Barry said.

"I don't recall her doing anything creepy. She only told us about that." Paul said.

"You're right about that but still it scares me to think that people can do that." Barry said.

"Well then you'll be relieved because I can do no such thing." Ashley said calmly.

"Then why did your Kirlia dodge the move and fire a new attack without any orders?" I asked confused.

"I train all my Pokémon to follow their instincts if it's ever needed. Whether you're a trainer or a coordinator, you must be able to follow your instincts and allow your Pokémons to follow theirs. My Pokémons don't just dodge when they're commanded to, they dodge and counter attack when they know what's best. I'll admit training them to do that wasn't easy, but the outcome was well worth it. It helped me get second place in the Hoenn grand festival. But I ended up losing to some guy named Robert apparently it was his third year in a row winning the thing. Still, I learned that even with battling the way I do, there's always room for improvements." Ashley said.

"That's what makes big sis so strong. She takes everything she's learned over her journey and turned it into experience. Plus she studies her opponents and creates new strategies for the perfect opponent. If you want to beat her, you better do something unpredictable." Sara said.

I then turned and looked at Paul. "Kind of like how you battle right?" I said.

"I guess but it's a little different. I never have my guys do what they feel like it but other then that, I suppose that's true." Paul explained to me.

_ Why are people like that always so hard to beat? Fine then I guess I do need to try something a little different and I think I may know just the plan._ I thought.

"Quilava use Swift!" I said

"Smart thinking. Kirlia, you can't dodge Swift so take it head on and then fire Psybeam!" Ashley said.

"The moment Kirlia fires Psybeam, counter with Flamethrower!" I said.

Quilava shot out a barrage of stars that all slammed into Kirlia with great force. The moment the stars stopped hitting Kirlia, Kirlia fired a Psybeam directly towards Quilava. Quilava then fired its Flamethrower to counter the beam at the last second. The two attacks cancelled each other out, and they then created a deep smoke cloud that neither of use can see through.

"Well this is a little shocking. Kirlia stay calm and use Recover!" Ashley said.

"We wont give you that chance, Quilava use Flame Wheel!" I said.

"Why would you do that, you're just as blind as I am." Ashley said.

"Kir!" We both heard Kirlia yell in pain.

"Sounds like a direct hit. Keep it up Quilava!" I said

We could both hear the noise of Quilava hitting its target repeatedly.

"I don't understand how you were able to hit me so much" Ashley said confused.

"Simple. It's true that I have no idea were your Kirlia is but Quilava knows just fine. You see we used to know the move Smokescreen and back when we did, we trained to improve Quilava's eyes. Even though the smoke was thick, Quilava can see as clear as daylight." I said happily.

"Good plan. I'm impressed by that. No actually that would be putting it lightly, I'm amazed, you really planned ahead and even though it appears that your Quilava no longer knows Smokescreen, you were still able to come up with a way to create a smoke cloud to use to your advantage. Plus your fire attacks have gotten quite the power boost from the Sunny Day I had Sceptile use before our little battle began." Ashley said.

"I tried to warn you. I said I'd use another Pokémon but you kept insisting that you wanted a challenge, I decided to continue with Quilava." I said.

"I wasn't complaining if that was what it appeared like I was doing. Still, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. You haven't won yet. Kirlia Psybeam!" Ashley said.

"Lava!" I heard my Quilava yell in pain.

"What but how?" I said shocked.

"If it's a matter of darkness, all I needed was some time for Kirlia's eyes to adjust to it. Now I get the feeling that it can see just as well as your Quilava can. Not that it really matters because it seems like the little smokescreen that our two attacks created earlier is starting to end." Ashley said.

Ashe was right to. The smoke that was hiding both Pokémon was now lifting and we were starting to be able to see both our Pokémon. They were breathing heavily and they had taken a ton of damage.

"Kirlia, use Psybeam once more!" Ashley said.

_We've got to end this now with the combination we've been practicing!_ I thought.

"Quilava use Flamethrower on the ground!" I yelled.

Quilava shot out of its Flamethower to the ground and used it to get high in the sky. Quilava was so high up that it appeared as though it was flying.

"What is she planning?" Ashley said sounding surprised.

"All right, let's end this now! Use Flame Wheel towards Kirlia and use the air you're in to pick up some speed and power!" I said.

Quilava surrounded its whole body with flames and rolled straight towards Kirlia. It had started to pick up speed so I knew the attack would end up being a powerful one.

"I'm not gonna just sit back and watch as you attack me head first. Kirlia use Psybeam at Quilava!" Ashley said.

_ In the air, it'll be too hard to dodge the attack, we will just have to go on right through it to get to Kirlia._ I thought.

"Kirlia fired a huge Psybeam wave straight toward Quilava and it hit itdead center however Quilava didn't stop there. Instead Quilava kept going straight into the Psybeam, following it until it got close enough to hit Kirlia. When Quilava hit Kirlia, a huge explosion happened and I stood there knowing that this was the end of our battle one of our Pokémon had been defeated and the other was still standing. The question is, did Quilava faint from the Psybeam a second before it hit Kirlia, or did Quilava hit Kirlia and knocked Kirlia out? I stood there confused and concerned as I wondered which of our Pokémon had won the battle.

To be Continued

* * *

_Dawn: I wonder what will happen and who will win._

_Barry: Man I can't wait to see the outcome of this battle._

_Paul: Either way, next time I get to have a rematch with Kai right?_

_Dawn:That's right,I can't wait. Thanks for reading todays chapter, please leave a review and we'll see you all next time._


End file.
